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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/24882781">Quentin Coldwater and the Universal Truth (That a Slytherin as hot as Eliot Waugh would never be attracted to a Hufflepuff such as himself)</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rubick/pseuds/Rubick'>Rubick</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>The Magicians (TV)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Alice &amp; Quentin are siblings, Alternate Universe - Harry Potter Setting, Alternate Universe - Hogwarts, Alternate Universe - Pride and Prejudice Fusion, Anal Fingering, Anal Sex, Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Depression, Eliot Waugh's Canonically Huge Dick, Eliot is Mr. Darcy, Everyone is 18ish, F/F, Fluff and Angst, Light Angst, M/M, Masturbation, Oral Sex, POV Alternating, Pining, Quentin Coldwater and the Deathly Swallows, Quentin Coldwater and the Sorceror’s Bone, Quentin Coldwater's Canonical Oral Fixation, Quentin and Eliot's Canonically Poor Communiation Skills, Quentin is Elizabeth Bennet, Slow Burn, Suicidal Thoughts, Vaginal Fingering, Wand magic, seriously it's slow</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-06-23</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-09-27</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-04 00:21:28</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Explicit</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>16</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>136,728</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/24882781</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rubick/pseuds/Rubick</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Here he was, at Hogwarts.  Quentin had dreamed of being a student here forever.  He could feel the magic thrumming in the air, could see it in the lights twinkling in the ceiling. </p><p>He felt a tickle on the back of his neck, and he looked to the table of green and silver ties. Quentin forced himself to not look to the ground, and his brown eyes locked with a set of hazel ones. Even at this distance, he could see the intensity within, a sparkle of excitement as they swept over him, head to foot and back up again. Quentin’s breath hitched and he wiped his suddenly damp palms on his robes.</p><p>Hazel Eyes also had full dark hair, short, wavy and slightly mussed, with a stray curl or two falling over his forehead. Quentin took in his strong jaw, full lips, a tiny cleft in his chin, and a slightly loosened tie peeking out above the neck of his robe. He exuded the kind of effortless, lazy sexiness that Quentin knew he couldn’t embody in one finger on his best day. </p><p>Hazel Eyes made no attempt to hide his appraisal of Quentin.  A slow smile spread across his lips as he stared back at him, his look full of promise and intent that Quentin wasn’t sure he could handle. <i>But I sure would love to try,</i> Quentin thought.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Kady Orloff-Diaz/Julia Wicker, Margo Hanson &amp; Eliot Waugh, Margo Hanson/Alice Quinn, Quentin Coldwater &amp; Alice Quinn, Quentin Coldwater &amp; Julia Wicker, Quentin Coldwater/Eliot Waugh, William "Penny" Adiyodi &amp; Quentin Coldwater</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>411</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>255</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. The Sorting</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>I decided, for my second story, to try something a little simpler. The Magicians at Hogwarts. And while we're at it, why not throw in some Jane Austen? No way that could get away from  me.</p><p>This is set at Hogwarts, and fully in that magic universe. IE no Brakebills and the magic is firmly within the Harry Potter universe, BUT you may see some references/allusions to the logistics of TM magic. IE it's all intertwined in a fun way. Don't think too hard on it.</p><p>So many thanks to TheAuditty - for making me see things that weren't there and giving me the courage to bring this little thing into the light.</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <em>
    <span>Quentin</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Don’t throw up. Don’t throw up.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>The thought pulsed through Quentin’s brain as he stood in the back of the Great Hall, the eyes of a few hundred students in black robes looking his way. His dreams of being sorted at Hogwarts had included a lot of celebration, happiness, and magic. But no vomit. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Beside him, his sister Alice nudged his shoulder.“Quentin,” she said in a harsh whisper.“Are you ok? You’re not going to throw up, are you?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He met her worried blue eyes. The memory of 11-year old Quentin heaving into a potted plant shortly before he was sorted at Ilvermorny played on a loop in his mind. Not his finest moment. After a hard swallow, he whispered, “I’m fine.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>A short boy standing directly in front of him, a first-year also waiting to be sorted, turned around, frowning up at Quentin. “Uh, please go over there if you’re gonna puke,” he said, pointing in the direction of the hall they had just entered from.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Quentin frowned back at the kid, annoyance momentarily swallowing his worries. “I’m not gonna puke!” he whispered loudly, drawing a few more stares. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>The boy stared back at him. "Aren't you a little old to be sorted?" he asked Quentin, drawing out the word 'old' like it tasted sour on his tongue.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"We're seventh years transferring from Ilvermorny." Alice replied crisply.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The boy looked from Quentin to Alice, and then back again. "Americans," he said with a sigh, turning away from them.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Rolling his eyes, Quentin stood up straighter and looked back at the Great Hall. Professor Fogg, the Headmaster of Hogwarts, was taking his place at the front podium, about to begin the festivities. Quentin tucked his hair behind his ear as Alice gave his arm a squeeze. He turned to her; the blazing smile she wore was infectious. The last time he had seen such light in her eyes was the day she received O’s on her OWL’s in all classes. Quentin felt a grin forming on his face, and he turned his eyes back to the grand hall in front of him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Quentin had visited Hogwarts only once before - this past summer when he and Alice took transfer exams. The Great Hall was as enormous and breathtaking as Quentin remembered, only now the voices of hundreds of students echoed in his ears. The room was lined with large sconces on the stone walls, full of flames for light, and far above, the ceiling had been enchanted so the night sky twinkled back at him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Four rows of long tables were stretched out, each one full of students in black robes. Most students wore white shirts under their robes, with a tie that designated the house they belonged to. Searching the table full of blue and bronze ties, he picked out Julia Wicker, waving madly his way. He raised up his hand and waved back, nudging Alice in her direction. He and Julia had been friends ever since she had traveled to the states for an academic competition during second year. She was near the top of the long list of reasons to transfer to Hogwarts.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>A couple of the castle ghosts meandered through the Hall - Nearly Headless Nick was floating from table to table, and he could see the Bloody Baron sitting morosely with the Slytherins. Several ghosts roamed the grounds of Ilvermorny; Quentin had fond memories of Jothan Caldwell’s spirit helping him with his charms homework. None of the ghosts at Ilvermorny were quite as mischievous as some of the ones at Hogwarts, though. Quentin had nearly shit himself when Nick had popped out of a suit of armor during his summer visit. The ghost was so pleased with himself, he’d nearly laughed himself back to life.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>At the head of the room were more tables atop a slightly raised platform, with a podium in the center.  Several staff members were seated there, also dressed in robes. Quentin could see Professor Van der Weghe sitting at the table, her black hair brushing the shoulders of her robes.  Next to her was Professor March, then Dr. Lipson, and then an empty chair.  More professors were seated at the table on the other side of the podium. Quentin had met most of them during his testing over the summer, when he and Alice were being considered as transfer students. Well, he was being considered. Alice's admission was a forgone conclusion.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The corners of Quentin’s mouth dipped slightly when he thought back to those interviews and tests. Transfers between schools were almost unheard of, and he would never have been considered for one if not for Alice. Her request that he be allowed to switch schools with her had raised more than a few eyebrows. While it made him a bit sick to his stomach to be known as “Alice Quinn’s little brother” (especially since he was older, if only by a few months), he could not pass up the chance to go to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Ilvermorny was great and all, but it was no Hogwarts. Hogwarts had real </span>
  <em>
    <span>history</span>
  </em>
  <span>. This was where magic was </span>
  <em>
    <span>born</span>
  </em>
  <span>. And if there was any way Quentin could touch just a little bit of that, he wasn’t going to pass it up.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Quentin was pulled from his thoughts by Headmaster Fogg’s voice echoing throughout the Great Hall. Professor Sunderland stood a few feet behind him, smiling gently at the group of students waiting to be sorted.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Welcome back,” the Headmaster began, his deep voice projecting to every corner of the room. “I trust you all had a fun and non-eventful summer.  Our sorting will begin momentarily. This year, in addition to our first-year students, we have two seventh-years transferring from Ilvermorny School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. They will also be sorted tonight.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>At this, whispers overtook the hall. Julia had warned Quentin rumors were already circulating of two new older students. Heads turned their way again, and Quentin suddenly felt very small in the large room. Only he could somehow feel small when towering over a crowd of 11-year-olds.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He felt a tickle on the back of his neck, and his glance was drawn to the table of green and silver ties. Quentin immediately realized this was a mistake, as the faces looking back at him were the most critical ones yet. Quentin forced himself to not look to the ground as he felt judgement sweeping over him, and his brown eyes locked with a set of hazel ones not too far away. Even at this distance, he could see the intensity within, a sparkle of excitement as they swept over him, head to foot and back up again. Quentin’s breath hitched and he wiped his suddenly damp palms on his robes.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Hazel Eyes also had full dark hair, short, wavy and slightly mussed, with a stray curl or two falling over his forehead. Quentin took in his strong jaw, full lips, a tiny cleft in his chin, and a slightly loosened tie peeking out above the neck of his robe. He exuded the kind of effortless, lazy sexiness that Quentin knew he couldn’t embody in one finger on his best day. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Hazel Eyes made no attempt to hide his appraisal of Quentin.  A slow smile spread across his lips as he stared back at him, his look full of promise and intent that Quentin wasn’t sure he could handle. </span>
  <em>
    <span>But I sure would love to try</span>
  </em>
  <span>, Quentin thought as he felt a warm swoop in his belly. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Professor Sunderland’s voice pulled Quentin from his thoughts, and he forced his eyes to the podium. “Please come to the front of the room,” she asked the students, and Quentin followed the first-years until the entire group of them were off to the side of the stage.  There were around fifty students to be sorted, and Quentin and Alice stood to the back of the group.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“We’ll begin with the first years.” Professor Sunderland placed the Sorting Hat on a little stool, and it began to sing it’s sorting song. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>The entire ceremony, while a bit more ridiculous (no singing objects at Ilvermorny, or at least not during his sorting), appeared just as revered as the one he remembered back in Massachusetts.  At Ilvermorny, students were led into a large chamber, while the entire school watched from a spectator area above.  Each student would step onto a Gordian Knot carved into the stone floor in front of four large wooden statues. Whichever statue reacted to the student would be the house they would belong to. Quentin had barely placed both feet on the knot when the Pukwudgie statue raised it’s arrow to the heavens. Back then, 11-year-old Quentin was still buzzing with the excitement of going to magic school to become a real wizard, and he couldn’t have cared less if he was a Horned Serpent or a Pukwudgie (even if a Horned Serpent did sound way cooler). 18-year-old Quentin did now find it ironic that he was aligned with the house of healers when he couldn’t even fix his own broken brain. Alice always insisted, though, that he was in the right place, telling him his compassion and kindness had healed her many times over.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Now here he stood for the second time in his life, waiting to be sorted. Quentin had read as much as he could about every house, diving into their lore and traditions.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Most wizards that graduated from Slytherin were known for their ambition and cunning. A Slytherin wouldn’t let anything get in their way of getting ahead, even if it meant taking down others in the process. Their house colors were green and silver, and a snake was on their house emblem.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Ravenclaw students tended to be the smartest witches and wizards in the castle. They were also the biggest know-it-alls, and Quentin was absolutely sure Alice would be placed there. Julia was pure Ravenclaw - incredibly smart and sometimes she killed him with how much she just had to have the last word. But he loved her anyway. Or maybe partly because of it. Their house colors were blue and bronze, and they were symbolized by an eagle.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Hufflepuff was the most like the house he’d been in at Ilvermorny, Pukwudgie. Loyalty and friendship were their jam, and their colors were yellow and black. It sounded super boring, but Quentin had to admit the allure of a house that accepted everyone, no matter their faults.The badger represented Hufflepuff. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>The last option was Gryffindor. Students from the house of scarlet and gold were known for their courage and daring, embodied by a fierce lion. Heroes were made in that house - some of wizarding history’s most well-known adventurers were from Gryffindor. If Luke Skywalker went to Hogwarts, he would’ve been a Gryffindor. Quentin would fight anyone who disagreed.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>In their excited discussions about Hogwarts over the past few months, Quentin had told Alice he didn’t care what house he was in, as long as he got to go to Hogwarts. That was a lie, though, as he was absolutely dying to be in scarlet and gold. The house of bravery and chivalry was… probably not where he would wind up. But it’s where he wished he belonged.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The first-years began filing to the stage, one by one sitting on the stool and having the Sorting Hat placed on their heads. Sometimes the hat would immediately yell out a house, sometimes it would take it’s time to decide. The kid who told Quentin to puke outside was welcomed by Slytherin. No matter what, with every new addition, the house that gained a new member would erupt into cheers.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Professor Sunderland had told them, just moments ago before they entered the Great Hall, that your house would be like your family. He had heard the same thing at Ilvermorny. Quentin was sure that was true for most students. It hadn’t been the case for him, though. While his housemates would be there if he really needed them, he was just too awkward even for the house of healers. He hadn’t made any real friends in his six years at the school, choosing to keep to himself and spend his free time in his books and with Alice. Watching Julia now as she cheered for a new addition to Ravenclaw, he realized he had more ties to a school he’d barely spent a day in than the one he’d studied at for years.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He glanced back behind him, to the Slytherin table. Hazel Eyes was speaking to a gorgeous, short brunette to his side, the two laughing together in a very cozy manner. The girl gestured over to Alice as she whispered to her friend (boyfriend?). Hazel Eyes looked to Alice, and then as if he felt Quentin's gaze, his head moved in Quentin’s direction. Quentin very quickly yanked his attention back to the sorting ceremony, only to realize he and Alice were the last ones left.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Alice Quinn,” Professor Sunderland said, looking at them expectantly.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>A soft hush spread over the room, all restless murmuring stopping as Alice gracefully stepped to the sorting chair.  When she had been sorted at Ilvermorny, the Thunderbird had beat its wings at the same time the Horned Serpent’s forehead began to glow. It was rare for two houses to trigger for one wizard, though Quentin wasn’t surprised that it had happened to Alice. She was a magical legacy.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Unfortunately, that legacy was marred in tragedy. Alice was adopted by Quentin’s family when her parents and brother died in a freak magical accident. Her parents had worked at the Magical Congress of the United States of America, in their research division. They both had wide reputations for being the most intelligent, if a bit eccentric, wizards of their time in the United States. In terms of magical achievements, the US had always been a bit of an afterthought - England, France, Bulgaria tended to hold the spotlight.  Stephanie and Daniel Quinn had been on the brink of changing that, though, with their research into magical energy currents. They  created wards that could exist around electronics devices, making them useful outside of muggle areas for the first time. The wards weren’t permanent and only covered a small area for a limited amount of time, and it was possible (likely) your device may explode, but such a discovery was the first of its kind. Their lesser-discussed research (but even more important, said some) revolved around various forms of sex magic - Stephanie Quinn could be thanked for ensuring no wizard needed to purchase lube again, as well as for engineering various shared pleasure spells. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>It was suspected that Daniel was attempting to stabilize his electronic ward in his home (conducting such research outside the institute was very much against MACUSA regulations), when his home, and everyone within, went up in flames. Alice had been at the library with Quentin and his mother. Quentin could still remember seeing his mother's face pale at the sight of the smoke rising into the air, could still feel the heat from the flames as muggle firefighters and wizards alike attempted to contain them. In the end, it was a miracle only one house had burned in the magical blaze. With no other family, Quentin's parents immediately took Alice in. She was already like a sister to him, having lived down the street since forever. As he watched Alice smile nervously at Professor Sunderland, he was struck by how much she had changed since that day.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The Alice that resolutely sat down on the sorting stool beared little resemblance to the firecracker Quentin remembered. She was the more daring one when they were younger, always wanting to go exploring the forest or chase adventure. That all changed when her family died. She didn't speak for weeks and buried herself in books. At Ilvermorny she lived in the library or her room, studying. She had chosen the Horned Serpent, as he knew she would. It was the house her brother had been sorted into. While she was here at Hogwarts because of her intellect, he hoped she found more than knowledge within these walls. He was certainly hoping to find more for himself, however unlikely that may be.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Quentin watched Alice flinch as the hat was placed upon her head. He recognized the anxiety behind the straight line of her lips, her eyes cast downward as the hat whispered words only she could hear. She bit her bottom lip nervously and then-</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"RAVENCLAW!" the hat bellowed into the silence. The Ravenclaw table erupted, the loudest shouts of the night echoing through the hall. Quentin smirked and applauded hard. As if there had been any doubt where the smartest witch of their age would land. Alice smiled brightly and made her way to the table, shaking hands and awkwardly accepting hugs before taking a seat next to Julia, who captured her in a fierce embrace.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>And then it was Quentin's turn. Professor Sunderland looked at her list and read out, “Quentin Coldwater.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>A few titters sounded through the crowd as his name was announced (at least she hadn’t included his middle name). Quentin ignored them and his rising nausea as he stepped up on the platform. He glanced at the head table, and saw that the previously vacant chair had now been filled - by Professor Mayakovsky. The older man was watching Quentin with a withering stare, his mouth curled up in disdain.  He taught Defense Against the Dark Arts, one of Quentin’s weaker subjects. He had received an Exceeds Expectations in the subject from his O.W.L.’s, and had to gain Professor Mayakovsky’s consent to sit for a N.E.W.T in it this year. The professor had absolutely enjoyed throwing various curses and stunners his way during his exam, only allowing non-verbal counters. Quentin had successfully countered most of them, getting hit with one full-body bind and a tongue-tying curse. After Mayakovsky had released Quentin from a spell, his laughter irritated Quentin so much that he threw a disarming curse at the Professor, gaining his wand in the process. Headmaster Fogg was observing, and he had let out a large guffaw at Quentin triumphantly holding Mayakovsky’s wand in his hand. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>The professor became quite angry, retrieving his wand quickly and demanding Quentin produce a Patronus as his final test. Quentin tried, and failed - he had never been able to successfully cast the complex charm. Mayakovsky declared him a failure, and the Headmaster had risen from his seat at the back of the classroom. He frankly told Mayakovsky that he couldn’t deny Quentin entry into the school, or disqualify him for a N.E.W.T. for failing to cast such a high level spell. The professor had left the classroom in a rage, while the Headmaster turned to Quentin with a smile on his face and said, “Welcome to Hogwarts.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Quentin let his eyes slide past Mayakovsky, and he turned and sat down on the stool, facing the crowd. He quickly picked out Alice, Julia… and almost beyond his control, his eyes slid to the Slytherin table, where he saw Hazel Eyes and Gorgeous Brunette watching with anticipatory smiles on their faces. Then he felt the soft pressure of the Sorting Hat upon his head.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Well, well, what have we here?” A voice spoke in his ear, although he felt no tickle or breath associated with it. “Another seventh year. From Pukwudgie. Hrm. You have much talent—such a shame to keep it hidden so deep inside. Quite a thirst to prove yourself... but above all love and loyalty to the few you hold dear. I can see you have more healing to do before you’re truly ready to spread your wings, so let’s go with HUFFLEPUFF!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Quentin let out a breath he was unaware he was holding as the room burst into applause.  Though he felt a bit heavy with disappointment, he also felt some relief at the return of the status quo. He could handle Hufflepuff. As he stood he saw Alice beaming, Julia looking a bit disappointed, and Hazel Eyes… well he looked downright sour.  The smile gone from his face, he was almost glowering in Quentin’s direction. Gorgeous Brunette wasn’t looking at him at all, but was clapping half-heartedly as she searched out something at the Ravenclaw table.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>A bit taken aback at the turn from the handsome Slytherin, Quentin approached the Hufflepuff table, where several students were waiting with handshakes and welcomes. He took an open seat next to a smiling older student.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hi!” the boy said brightly, offering his hand. He had short brown hair and clear, friendly eyes. “I’m Todd, one of the Prefects for Hufflepuff. Welcome to your new house!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Quentin shook his hand. “Hi,” he replied. “I’m Quentin.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I know,” Todd replied, his smile somehow growing even larger. “Glad you could join us for your last year.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Professor Fogg approached the podium again. “Congratulations to all of our new students for joining their houses. Welcome to a new year at Hogwarts. Let’s make it our best yet, shall we?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>With those words, everyone cheered and the plates in front of them were filled with food.  Quentin, happy to have something to occupy himself with, began loading up his plate. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“So, Ilvermorny, eh?” asked the student sitting across from him. He appeared to be around Quentin’s age, a little husky, with a short haircut, glasses, and stubble across his jaw. “How’d you swing coming over to Hogwarts for your last year?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Josh!” Todd admonished.  “That’s not how you make someone feel welcome.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It’s ok,” Quentin said. He knew the questions would come, and better to get them out of the way.  “My sister is Alice. She’s kind of, um, brilliant?  She got the chance to transfer to do specialized studies with Professor March. She didn’t want to come alone, so... I got to come along for the ride.” Quentin stuffed a roll in his mouth and looked at his plate as those within earshot studied him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Josh smirked at him. “Is it true you disarmed Mayakovsky?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Quentin coughed as his food went down the wrong pipe. He looked up to see almost the entire table waiting to hear the answer. “Um… yes?” he responded.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Josh broke into a wide grin, as did many others around him. “Nice!” he complimented Quentin. "I wish I could have seen the look on his face.'</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Quentin glanced up to the head table, not surprised to see the professor in question glowering his way. "It's pretty much how he looks right now.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Quentin ate and chatted with his new housemates. Everyone was very friendly, and seemed truly happy to have him here. He looked over to the Ravenclaw table, where he met Alice’s eyes. She was still next to Julia, talking to her and nearby students. She gave Quentin a warm smile, and arched her eyebrows in a silent question. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Doing ok?</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>Quentin nodded and smiled back. His gaze moved to the Slytherin table. Hazel Eyes sat with his back to him, involved in conversation and his meal.  Quentin wondered if he had done something wrong - or if he just disliked Hufflepuffs that much. Determined to stop worrying about it, Quentin turned back to his food.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>--</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>tbc in Chapter 2: The Common Rooms</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. The Common Rooms</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <em>
    <span>Quentin</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Ok, so it’s two from the bottom, middle of the second row.” Todd pointed to the barrel in question. “You knock on the rhythm of ‘Helga Hufflepuff,' and the door will open!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Quentin nodded, eyeing the barrels nervously. They were standing in a dark recess of a hallway, just past the kitchens. Todd was showing him, along with several Hufflepuff first years, how to enter their common room.  </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>A first-year girl with dark curls, Quentin thought her name was Vanessa, walked up to a barrel on the end of the row. Before anyone could stop her, she said “Helga Hufflepuff!” as she rapped her knuckles on the outside of the barrel.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Don’t—” Todd was cut off by the barrel opening and dousing the first-year in vinegar. Quentin jerked backwards in surprise, as did a few others when the acidic smell of vinegar hit their nostrils.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Do </span>
  <b>not </b>
  <span>touch any of the other barrels,” Todd sighed. “You’ll need a shower and a change of clothes if you do. Each common room has its own kind of password, so only those that belong to the house can enter. This is Hufflepuff’s - you must knock in the exact rhythm, on the exact barrel. Do not show this to anyone not belonging to Hufflepuff.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>With that, Todd knocked on the barrel second from the bottom, in the middle of the row. The barrel slid away to reveal an opening in the stone wall. He turned to the group of new students and ushered them inside. “Come along, now.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>One of the other Hufflepuff Prefects, Emily Greenstreet, took up the rear of the group, ensuring no Hufflepuffs were left behind.  The group filed into the tunnel, Quentin stepping through the door just before she did.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The sloping passageway traveled upwards a bit, leading to a round wooden door. It opened up into a large room with a low ceiling - the Hufflepuff common room.  The stone walls were colored a soft yellow, and round windows provided a view of the night sky. Even at nighttime, the room was bright and cheery. Quentin could imagine how warm it would feel in the daylight when sunshine was flowing in. The furniture was made of a honey-colored wood, with green and yellow fabric covers and pillows scattered about.  The fireplace was lit, the logs inside crackling and the flames providing a warm glow. Above the fireplace hung a large portrait of Helga Hufflepuff, the house founder.  Candles were set about on the mantle (carved with dancing badgers) and on the walls of the room. Quentin got a very Middle Earth vibe from the room. He felt a goofy smile forming on his face as he took it all in.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Quentin walked further into the room, craning his head back to see dozens of plants hanging from the ceiling.  Flowers, herbs, ivy, even a few cacti were suspended in copper pots and nestled in shelves that curved along with the walls.  One cactus danced and waved his way as he stared at it with wide eyes.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>A few students were already settled on the various couches and armchairs.  A large bookshelf was set against one wall, containing books and knickknacks.  One table held an in-progress game of wizard’s chess, and another held various puzzles. The overall effect was very comforting and Quentin could easily see himself spending hours curled up on the couch, studying or reading.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Seeing something familiar on the bookshelf, Quentin crossed over to it. He withdrew a dusty green book, turning it over in his hands.  His eyes ran over the familiar black text: ‘Fillory and Further, Book One.’ Quentin placed it back on the shelf, a warm comfort blooming in his chest.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“These doors lead to the dorms.” Quentin turned to see Todd speaking to the group.  “This door—” Todd pointed to his right, “leads to the girls dorm. This one—” he pointed to the door to his left, “to the boy’s. Your things have already been brought up to your rooms.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Josh walked up to Quentin, a friendly smile on his face. “You’re rooming with Todd and I. We’ve been sharing since first year, and they brought in another bed for you. Come on, I'll show you.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Quentin followed Josh up to the dorm. As he stepped into the bedroom, he immediately started comparing it to his old dorm at Ilvermorny. For starters, the room was slightly bigger and held less students. He had roomed with five other boys in the US, here he was only with Todd and Josh. A four poster bed covered in a yellow and black patchwork quilt sat in one corner, with Quentin's trunk placed in front of it. He’d had the bottom half of a bunk bed at his old school. Quentin crossed the room to his bed, copper lamps lighting the way. He reached a hand out and touched the quilt - it was incredibly soft against his fingertips. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Just two of you in here?" Quentin asked, turning in a slow circle as he took in everything. The bed was huge!</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Yeah, we were sharing with a couple others, but last year's graduating Hufflepuff class was pretty large, and the new first years aren't going to fill all their space.  We don't have to be as packed together as other houses."</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Quentin nodded, still taking in the rest of the room. The other two beds were neatly made, although one was strewn with clothing, books, parchment, and other school materials.  </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I’m the messy one,” Josh said, seeing Quentin eyeing his mess. “Also… one more thing you should know. I’m the plant guy.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Quentin looked at Josh with a blank expression. “Like you water the plants?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Uh, no. Well, I do, everybody does, but that’s not what I mean.” Josh smiled uneasily.  “I’m also kind of the edibles guy. And a potion guy. Pretty much any kind of thing you might need to… take the edge off, I’m your guy.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Quentin blinked at Josh, and then refocused on Josh’s side of the room.  A couple of cauldrons were sitting next to his bed, one of which Quentin recognized as the self-stirring variety. A pile of beakers, and next to that, an open bag had tipped on its side. A few pipes and bongs were spilling out of it.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Quentin was definitely familiar with recreational potions and drugs - from both the Muggle and Wizard sides of his life. They were practically responsible for most moments of socialization he'd had so far in his life. Okay, that was an exaggeration, but he was definitely not one to shy away from any kind of medicinal therapy.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He’d spent many nights stoned in his room or up in the Astronomy Tower, looking at the stars while having incredibly deep thoughts about his existence in the world and the impact he was failing to make on it. Or about how the fate of Fiona Chatwin was not at all tonally consistent with the rest of the Fillory books. Or about how nice Ryan Miller’s ass looked in his uniform pants.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Such things, though, were very hush-hush at Ilvermorny.  This was probably one of those culture changes Alice had warned him about in their many discussions about moving to England. Quentin turned back to Josh.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Well that will be… convenient,” he said, keeping his face neutral. While he didn’t care about who smoked what, he was pretty sure drugs weren't allowed on campus. He wasn’t interested in getting kicked out after he just arrived.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>As if sensing his worries, Josh told him, “Hey, nothing here is illegal, per se.” He walked over to his bed and started putting the pipes back in his bag.  “Just a few things the Department of Intoxicating Substances is better off not knowing about. The way I see it, I’m just holding up Helga’s legacy. You think she was famous because of her food charms? She had a few more tricks up her sleeve than that. And if you see me coming and going during the night… well you know why. Plus, rooming with me has its perks.  Anything you need, I got you.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Quentin shrugged. His roommate was a drug dealer. This was fine. Everything was fine. "You don’t need to worry. I can keep my mouth shut.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Most of the faculty knows anyway, Professor Bax has a section of his greenhouse set aside for me. Just don’t flaunt it.”  Josh opened up his trunk, and grabbed a small yellow vial from inside a velvet bag. He handed it to Quentin.  “Little welcome present. Drink this and you’ll be relaxed and happy for a few hours. No hangover!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Quentin took it, shoving it in his pocket next to his wand. He then walked over to his trunk, sitting down on it heavily. He needed to unpack. But honestly the bed looked more inviting than anything. The excitement and trepidation of the day was starting to catch up with him. The door opened, and Todd came in.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Getting settled in?” At Quentin’s nod, he said, “Great! A few of us are hanging out in the common room if you want to come get to know everyone.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Um,” Quentin started, his eyes darting between the floor and Todd. “I think I’m just gonna unpack and lay down.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Josh and Todd looked at each other, and then back to Quentin. “Ok, sure, yeah. We’ll be down there if you change your mind!”  The two boys left the room, closing the little round door behind them.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Quentin looked around the room again. Here he was, at Hogwarts.  He’d dreamed of being a student here ever since Alice had told him of the school's history. Magic school was cool enough, but the </span>
  <em>
    <span>first </span>
  </em>
  <span>magic school ever built? Wars had been fought within these walls. Quentin could feel the magic thrumming in the air, he could hear it in the wind whistling in the fireplace, could see it in the lights twinkling back at him in the ceiling. Ilvermorny just couldn't compare. He couldn’t wait to explore the castle and beyond.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Quentin did come from a magical family, although one not nearly as notable as Alice's. His mother was the wizard in the family, his dad a muggle. They’d grown up together, and had found each other again after his mom graduated from Ilvermorny.  They weren’t sure at first if Quentin would have magical abilities, but his mom had told him that even as a toddler, he would grab sticks in the yard and pretend to cast spells. It was quite the happy surprise when one day, as he was gesturing and muttering at a model airplane he had dropped and broken, it suddenly appeared to be completely fixed without a scratch on it.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>But now as he sat in his dorm room, even as the excitement of finally being here was coursing through his veins, his heart still felt empty. He was nearing the end of his ‘plan’ - which had one step: learn magic, bitch.  Graduation was in a year, and then… he had no idea. His mom worked for the local Owl Post Office at home, which he had no desire to do. He could try to get a job at MACUSA, but doing what, he had no idea. A Dragonologist sounded really cool, but not even the thought of </span>
  <em>
    <span>real live dragons</span>
  </em>
  <span> was enough to get his blood pumping.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The truth was, Quentin felt a little dead inside. The last time he felt alive, when something really lit him up, was when he got his letter to Ilvermorny. He had been so worried Alice would get her letter, and he'd get nothing. That those fleeting moments of magic as a child had been a fluke, and he'd be left alone, forced to live a non-magical life. In New Jersey.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The relief he’d felt at holding the letter in his hand, sealed with wax, addressed to Quentin Coldwater, was so overwhelming it nearly knocked him to his knees.  But now, six years later, he was almost done with school. And he still felt lost, adrift in a dark sea with no land in sight. Some days, more and more often lately, he wondered what the point of it all was. He was learning magic and was going to become a real wizard. So what? So were thousands of other people all over the world, and they all had better plans than he did. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Alice was going to reach into the sky, and pluck out some magical advancement so amazing it would change the entire wizarding community. She was already as smart as her parents, she just needed the resources and support to turn it into something real. (Hopefully if it was sex magic she would publish it under a pseudonym. And never tell him what it was. No way he could use it knowing his sister created it.) Julia was right on Alice’s heels in terms of intelligence, and he wouldn’t be surprised if she was offered a job at the Ministry right after graduation.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Quentin was making all the right moves and checking all the right boxes, but he didn't feel that spark of life inside him. And at this point, he didn’t know if he ever would.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Well, that wasn't quite true. That Slytherin boy he'd seen tonight… he had certainly felt something flame up when their eyes met. Gorgeous, confident, he had looked at Quentin like he was worth something. For all of five minutes, anyway. Then he realized the truth - that Quentin wasn’t worth anything. He'd seen what Quentin saw in the mirror every day.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He didn’t know how long he sat there, staring into space. He suddenly heard a low rumbling of feet in the hallway, and a few shouts. Then the door to his bedroom was flung open, and Julia emerged, laughing and tugging Alice behind her.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Julia, I - I don’t think we’re supposed to—” Alice was cut off by Todd yelling behind her.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Wicker! You can’t just go into our dorm rooms!” Todd followed the girls, a look of panic in his eyes. It was the first time Quentin had seen him without a smile on his face.  “We could get in trouble!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Oh please, Todd,” Julia said, still giggling. “You’re a Prefect. You gonna tell on me?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>There was a pause, then, “No. You’re Head Girl, you know. You should set a better example.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>At that Julia rolled her eyes. “I am setting a good example. Were you just going to let Quentin sit up here all by himself? His first night at Hogwarts? School of Witchcraft and Wizardry??” Her voice got more high-pitched with every word.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Quentin could tell Julia had probably imbibed a bit of whatever Josh was offering. Alice gave him an apologetic smile.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Your room is nice,” she said softly, looking around. “Very cozy.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Julia turned to Quentin, eyes flashing.  “I knew you’d be up here.  I can’t believe you don’t have a Fillory book in your hand.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Quentin looked down at his hands, and then back up to Julia with a guilty grin. “Only because I haven’t unpacked them yet.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Well, come on,” Julia said, grabbing Quentin’s wrist and pulling him off his trunk. “Let’s go meet everyone!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“He said he wanted to get some rest,” Todd told Julia as she moved to the door, pulling Quentin behind her.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I know what he said. And if he thinks he’s gonna spend his year at Hogwarts holed up in his room or the library, he’s got another thing coming. Come on, Q!” Julia tugged Quentin along with her down to the common room. “Hoberman, get your shit and let’s go!” she threw back over her shoulder as she headed to the door leading back to the hallway.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Where are we going?” Quentin asked, his wrist still firmly in Julia’s hand. He turned back to look at Alice, who was trailing behind him.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Opening the common room door, Julia turned and smiled at Quentin. “To your first Hogwarts party!”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>---</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Quentin sat on a couch in the Ravenclaw common room, Alice on one side of him, Julia on the other. Students from all houses were crammed in the room, which had turned into the unofficial post-sorting after party.  Next to Julia was her girlfriend Kady, a girl with black curly hair who would be gorgeous if she could get the scowl off her face. Her eyes did soften a bit when she looked at Julia, but they would turn back to steel as soon as her attention was drawn elsewhere.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>While Alice was happily chatting with her new housemates about the magical properties of the Northern Lights (or maybe the conversation had turned to famous horses in literature, he had lost track). Quentin was taking in the room, trying not to focus on the amount of people surrounding and looking at him.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The Ravenclaw common room was quite different from Hufflepuff’s. He’d been dragged across the castle and up a few floors before reaching the door in Ravenclaw tower. Ravenclaw’s form of common room security was a riddle given by the bronze knocker on the door (‘</span>
  <em>
    <span>I have cities, but no houses. I have mountains, but no trees. I have water, but no fish. What am I?</span>
  </em>
  <span>’)  He’d blurted out ‘a map’ without even realizing, earning him a smile from Alice. He’d then followed her and Julia into a wide, circular room full of blue and bronze. His shoes sunk a bit into the dark plush carpet, and above him the ceiling was painted to reflect a night sky.  He was sure that the Ravenclaws had the best view in the castle from the large windows set into the walls. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Julia had immediately led him to the couch, and a crowd had gathered around them shortly after. Quentin and Alice were the new puppies, and everybody wanted a pet. In fact, Julia had literally pet his hair a few times as she introduced him.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Quentin loved Julia, but sometimes he did want to strangle her. They had known each other since they were 12 years old - Julia had traveled to Ilvermorny for an academic competition during her second year, and Quentin was assigned her guide for her stay.  He had greeted her upon arrival outside the grounds, and her nose was buried in a Fillory &amp; Further book. They had immediately bonded over their love of Jane Chatwin.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>They had visited in person a few times over the years, but had mainly kept in touch via owl post during the school year, and phone or video calls over the summer. He thought for sure he’d never hear from her again after she left from that first visit, but she held on just as tight as he did. Quentin had developed quite the crush on her, the remnants of which still lingered a bit even now as she squeezed his arm. That crush had flattened him somewhat in their fourth years, when Julia told him she was dating a guy from Gryffindor called Penny. After dealing with his moping for a bit (and ignoring Julia’s subsequent owls), Alice had told him he needed to grow up and deal with it or lose his best friend. He had realized she was right, and while he hadn’t really ‘moved on,’ he’d come to terms with his feelings, and her lack thereof.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Even though she was thousands of miles away, Julia had helped Quentin through some of the darkest times of his life. Sometimes, his brain would… break. He’d struggle to get out of bed, his dark thoughts making the littlest effort huge and impossible. Alice tried her best to help, but she had her own life to live. Quentin also couldn’t stand the thought of Alice, who had lost her entire family, feeling any pity for him. On those days when he felt most worthless, he’d write out his feelings in a letter to Julia. Sometimes he’d send them, sometimes he’d burn them. But when he did send them, she never judged and always wrote back. When she’d heard he may be spending his last year at Hogwarts, he honestly couldn’t decide who was more excited.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>A Ravenclaw through and through, she had a tendency to believe she was always right, and she always knew what was best. Which was why Quentin was spending his first night at Hogwarts trying not to get a contact high from the brightest witches and wizards in the castle. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Josh (whose last name was Hoberman, Quentin had learned) handed out a few joints and potions, and the group was passing them around. One student had cast a charm to remove the smell from the air, lest any teachers walk by and check on them. He had claimed he learned it from Professor March, the Ravenclaw Head of House.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>As Quentin passed on a hit as the joint passed him (getting high his first night at Hogwarts just didn’t seem like the smart thing to do), he whispered to Julia, “So is every teacher just, like, ok with drugs in the common rooms?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Julia smiled as she took a drag.  “It’s not like we do it every week. Well, every night, anyway. No one goes to class high, but every house has its habits.”  She smiled and passed the joint to Kady.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Sunderland would never go for this,” said one student, a tall muscular sixth year with a deep voice and dark skin. He had discarded his robe on the floor, his tie marking him as Gryffindor. Quentin was momentarily distracted by the strong arms peeking out of his short sleeves. Catching Quentin’s eye, the student smiled at him. Quentin gave a tight smile back and then looked away.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I dunno, I think she’d be cool.”  Another voice spoke up, this one from behind Quentin. He turned in his seat to see who had spoken, and he couldn’t help the grimace that momentarily crossed his face.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Penny Adiyodi had entered the room at some point, and he settled on the arm of a nearby chair. His short black hair was spiked up, and Quentin was sure he was wearing some kind of eyeliner to make his dark eyes look wider. While Quentin and Penny had never officially met, he had seen plenty of pictures of him with Julia over the years. Quentin didn’t know the exact details of his breakup with Julia, but it had left Julia crying over the phone to Quentin several times during the summer after fifth year. Julia and Penny were friends now, but it still didn’t stop a bit of anger (and maybe, perhaps, possibly just a smidge of jealousy) that rose up when he saw him in the flesh.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Julia smirked at Penny.  “Oh yeah? You think she’d be cool with her Prefect getting high in the common room? Why would she be ok with that, I wonder?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>As Julia looked at Penny, Quentin could sense some kind of silent conversation happening right in front of him. Penny swallowed and then blushed slightly. “I just think maybe she’s not as uptight as some people think.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Julia opened her mouth again, but whatever she was going to say was lost to the sound of the common room door opening. All heads turned in that direction. If it was a teacher they’d be in trouble, but none of the wards had gone off (they had set them up around the room to alert them if any faculty approached). It was another group of students… most of these dressed in green and silver ties.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Quentin felt his mouth go dry as he recognized the first two students in the door - Hazel Eyes and Gorgeous Brunette. Hazel Eyes looked directly at him before quickly averting his glance, and Gorgeous Brunette made a beeline for their group.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Well well well, what have we here?” she said, smiling at Quentin and then moving to Alice. She sat on the armrest directly next to Alice. Alice tucked a lock of blonde hair behind her ear and sat up straighter. Quentin peered at her - was she blushing?</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I’m Margo Hanson.” Well, she’d always be Gorgeous Brunette to Quentin.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>After a moment, Quentin said, “I’m —”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Quentin Coldwater,” she finished for him. Looking to Alice, she finished, “And Alice Quinn. Transfers! I don’t think I’ve ever seen anyone transfer to Hogwarts before.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>She was even more gorgeous up close. Her perfectly manicured fingers touched the fabric of the sofa as she placed one hand on the back behind Alice, propping herself up. She had lovely brown eyes, full of light and mischief. Her perfect olive skin complemented her dark hair, and her full lips were painted a dusky red. She had taken off her Slytherin robe when she’d entered, revealing a form-fitting green dress and short black heels. She crossed her legs as she evaluated both of them.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Quentin looked at Alice, who’s lips appeared to have been glued shut. An awkward silence settled over the group as everyone looked at them expectantly.  “Well now you have?” Quentin said, eyes darting from her, to Alice, and back again.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Hi Margo,” Julia said, annoyance evident in her voice. “Please don’t freak anyone out on their first night.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Who, me?” Margo asked, all innocence and sweetness.  “I just wanted to come say hi. Introduce myself. Get to know our new classmates.”  She looked back down to Alice, who smiled shyly up at Margo.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“It’s nice to meet you,” Alice told Margo.  “Everyone is so welcoming here.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Quentin’s brow furrowed as he looked at Alice. She WAS blushing.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Well, it’s not every year we get new seventh years." Margo smiled down at Alice.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Actually Kitten, we do get new seventh years every year. You and I are even two of them." Hazel Eyes spoke up as he removed his robe and sat down in a vacant armchair.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Rolling her eyes, Margo said, “Don’t mind him. That’s Eliot. He’s got his panties in a twist for some reason.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Hardly,” Eliot responded. “Just reveling in the start of another boring year at Hogwarts.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Quentin frowned at the prospect of anyone finding a year at Hogwarts boring. He watched as Eliot took a shot from a flask he had pulled from his robe pocket. His legs, seeming to go on and on, stretched out in front of him. He wore a grey button down, his tie removed and the first couple of buttons undone. Quentin could see a smattering of chest hair peeking through. He had a wand holster strapped around his shoulder, and Quentin could see the tip of his wand peeking out. His long fingers were wrapped around his flask as he relaxed back into the chair, his eyes moving over the group, and then to Quentin. He held Quentin’s glance for a moment, and then moved on, his face expressionless. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The name suited him, Quentin decided. Eliot exuded elegance, sex, anxiety, drama, and charisma all wrapped up in one incredibly luscious package. Quentin forced himself to look away before it became awkward, but after only a few seconds, his eyes traveled back to the tall Slytherin. Eliot ran one hand through his hair, and goddamn, it was the sexiest thing Quentin had ever seen.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Quentin squirmed on the couch, crossing a leg over a knee and ensuring his robe was secured around him. He turned to look anywhere else, at anything or anyone, settling on Julia, who gave him a reassuring smile.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I dunno,” Margo said, responding to Eliot’s earlier comment, though she was still looking at Alice.  “I think this year may be a bit more exciting.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>---</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>An hour later, Quentin was sitting by himself on a dark blue bean bag next to a large bookcase. He sank further into it - who still had bean bags, anyway? - as he watched the students laughing and talking. The group had thinned out a bit as some had gone to bed, but there were still a handful of students left. He was really starting to regret passing up the joint.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He’d never seen Alice talk, or smile, so much in his life. Where was his shy little sister that would rather read a book about metaphysical mind control via transference than go to a party? She had told Margo she couldn’t wait to see her play in the next Quidditch match (apparently Margo was captain of the Slytherin team, something she’d mentioned no less than four times). Alice had only gone to watch Quidditch or Quodpot (the preferred Wizard sport in the states) when she was forced to as part of team-building or whatever at Ilvermorny. She’d never shown any interest in the sport, or any sport, beyond a few comments about the odds of the Chasers to score enough points to render capturing the Snitch meaningless. The fact that she would promise to go outside without a book in her hand was astonishing in itself. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Quentin was happy for Alice, he truly was. If anyone deserved a bit of happiness in her life, it was her. But as he watched her laugh at something that tall, dark Gryffindor had said (Idri, his name was), he couldn’t help the jealousy that curled inside him. This would never be easy for him. Alice was his partner-in-crime, they were the socially maladjusted duo that would take over the world. Or just sit aside and watch it burn, whatever came first. If Alice was going to get all socially-adjusted, where did that leave him?</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He exhaled and leaned his head against the wall behind him. He was just about to make his escape back to his room when he heard his name a few feet over from where he was sitting. Even though he’d only heard it a few times that night, he’d already recognize Eliot’s voice anywhere. He was whispering to Margo on the other side of the bookcase. They must not have seen him, with how he was basically folded in on himself.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I’m just saying, I don’t see anything special there,” Eliot told Margo.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Please,” Margo said. Quentin could practically hear her rolling her eyes. “I saw you eyefucking Coldwater in the hall. You were full speed ahead until he got sorted.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Hardly,” Eliot replied. “He was just something new to look at. Not even remotely cute enough to tempt me. Plus, you know I prefer men who can stand on their own two feet. I can do better than some Hufflepuff following his sister around.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Quentin felt his chest tighten and his face go cold at hearing those words. What a dick. First off, he was the fucking personification of the word cute. Sexy? No. Hot, gorgeous? Not for Quentin. But by God, if you looked up cute in the dictionary, you’d find a picture of Quentin Coldwater, dimples and all. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Second of all, yeah, maybe he wouldn’t be here if Alice wasn’t, but he got in on his own merit. He passed all the tests easily, including when Professor Brzezinski made him test his laughing potion on himself. And he fucking disarmed Mayakovsky! He seriously doubted Eliot could do that. He was probably too busy fixing his stupid perfect hair or picking out his incredibly sexy outfits. Fuck that guy.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Oblivious to the pot boiling over on the other side of the bookcase, Margo and Eliot continued their conversation. “You making any headway with Alice?” Eliot asked.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I don’t know. She’s pretty quiet. I’m pulling out my best stuff and all I’m getting is a smile or two. She is smart as a whip, though. You know she can already cast a Disillusionment Charm? I bet she could beat my ass in wizard chess.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Even in his rage, Quentin couldn’t help smiling at this. A smile or two from Alice was a big deal. He couldn’t remember ever seeing her express any romantic interest, let alone date anyone. If Margo was responsible for the happiness he could see in Alice’s eyes right now, and if she could convince Alice there was more to life than books and studying, he was all for it. But if Margo was anything like Eliot, then maybe Alice would be better off without her.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Calm down, Bambi,” Eliot replied. Quentin could hear the smile in his voice. Whatever. “Don’t waste your time if you don’t think she’s gonna take the bait. It’s our last year at Hogwarts. After the crap we’ve put up with at this school, we could use an easy year.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“You mean all the crap </span>
  <b>you’ve</b>
  <span> put up with,” Margo retorted. “Come on, I see Idri trying to get his hooks in.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Quentin silently watched them move back to the main group as the rage inside him simmered. Why did he think coming to Hogwarts was a good idea? Everyone probably thought the same as they did. Quentin Coldwater, riding the coattails of his brilliant sister. He should’ve just stayed at Ilvermorny.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Julia caught his eye from the couch. She gave him a pout, and beckoned him over. Knowing that she’d just drag him over if he didn’t, he got up and walked to the group. He sat on the arm of the couch next to Julia.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Doing ok?” she asked him quietly, angling her neck to look at him from her seat on the couch.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Quentin nodded, his arms crossed and mouth in a tight line. He felt an elbow poke his thigh. He looked down and met Julia’s eyes, which were full of concern. He softened a bit, uncrossing his arms and putting his hands down in his lap.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I’m good,” he told her softly, mustering up a weak smile. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Julia opened her mouth to respond when she was interrupted by someone calling her name.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Julia, have you seen Marina lately?” Penny asked, standing up and slipping his robe back on.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Um, no,” Julia said, suddenly looking a bit uncomfortable. Kady, who had her arm draped casually on the couch behind Julia, removed it and frowned. “Why do you ask?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Penny, oblivious to the change in tone, continued, “She still has some library book that never got returned. Zelda is on me to get it back.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Oh,” Julia said. “Well, I dunno. Send her an owl I guess.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Seems like the library would take back all their books before they expel someone,” Margo commented.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>At this, Quentin’s head picked up. “She was expelled?” Julia had spoken of Marina in a few of her letters. He knew they were friends and worked on some projects together, but he hadn’t heard anything about her being expelled.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Yeah, she was really into dark magic. Fogg caught her in the Forbidden Forest. Rumor is she needed unicorn blood for some kind of crazy spell. Can’t imagine what would be important enough to go in there alone at night. Not to mention that hurting a unicorn is like, a major no-no on the cosmic karma scale.” Margo examined her nails as she spoke, as if she’d told this story dozens of times.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Hurt a unicorn?” Alice gasped, her hand over her heart as though the very idea had pierced her soul. Knowing Alice, it probably had.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“She didn’t actually find one,” Margo told her. “But when they searched her room after, they found all kinds of shit - webbing from the acromantulas, notes on unforgivables… she had to go.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Rumor is she wasn’t alone in that forest,” Eliot muttered, almost too quietly to be heard. He stared ahead, his eyes focusing on nothing.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Well,” Margo said, “On that note, we should head back to the dungeons before Mayakovsky starts wandering the halls. He’s pretty stealthy even when he’s blazed out of his mind.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The few students left started gathering their things to leave. Quentin hugged Alice and Julia goodbye, promising to meet for breakfast, as Josh waited for him by the door.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I can walk with you back to the common room,” Josh told him. “We have a few tricks to avoid any faculty or Perfects that may be out on patrol after hours.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Eliot and Margo walked up behind Quentin, putting on their robes. Quentin looked at Josh and said, “Thanks, Josh, I appreciate it.” Then swinging his gaze to Eliot, he continued, “I never want it to be said that I’m just some Hufflepuff who can’t stand on my own two feet.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Eliot, in the act of shrugging into his robe, froze. His gaze swung over to Quentin as his face tinged a touch scarlet. He opened his mouth and then closed it again. Without waiting for a response, Quentin turned and walked out the door into the dark hall. He could feel Eliot’s eyes on his back.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Josh followed and said, not without a bit of confusion, “Well, I’m sure no one would ever say that. Now, follow me this way and be quiet…”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>As he followed Josh, Quentin almost missed Margo’s quiet, “Damn. Didn’t think he had that in him.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>--</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>tbc in Chapter 3: The Potion</span>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. The Potion</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <em> Quentin </em>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Quentin peered into his cauldron, sniffing the air above it cautiously.  It was his third attempt at brewing a flavored cough potion, and if he didn’t manage it this time, he’d have to come in after-hours, repeating the process until he got it right. He had no trouble with the standard potion, but adding the sweet essence was throwing something off.</p>
<p>As Quentin waited until it was time to give the mixture another five stirs counter-clockwise, he tugged his robe and cloak tighter around him. The weather was getting colder, and since the potions classroom was located down in the dungeons, it always had more of a chill than the rest of the castle. The past month had flown by, a blur of classes and studying and more than a few late nights in the Hufflepuff common room. </p>
<p>He'd learned one thing about Hogwarts professors real quick: They didn't fuck around in the seventh year. Quentin was taking five classes - Transfiguration, Defense Against the Dark Arts, Charms, Potions, and Care of Magical Creatures. He was planning to take the Nastily Exhausting Wizard Tests (N.E.W.T.’s) in the first three. </p>
<p>Charms and Transfiguration were no-brainers for a N.E.W.T. - they were easily his best subjects. Transforming the essence of objects, either their composition or other attributes like appearance, was a skill that seemed to flow so naturally from Quentin that he was halfway considering becoming an instructor in the subjects. He’d mastered many non-verbal charms by his fifth year, and Professor March had told him his Reparo was the best he’d ever seen. During his entrance exam, when Quentin had easily repaired a broken pair of glasses and fused two cleanly cut pieces of rope into one with a simple flick of his wand, the professor had upped the ante by purposefully breaking objects in his classroom and having Quentin attempt to repair them.</p>
<p>After Quentin had successfully reformed a potion vial, a ceramic plate, and a delicate glass figurine in the shape of a fox, he thought he had done more than enough to satisfy the teacher. But then Professor March had taken a small, golden watch out his pocket, and placed it on his desk. Before Quentin could say a word, the professor had suddenly slammed a heavy paperweight onto the watch. Tiny golden pieces flew everywhere, and the delicate timepiece was utterly destroyed.</p>
<p>Quentin had stared at it, his eyes wide. Professor March had gestured to the small pile of metal, and said gruffly, “Fix it.”</p>
<p>It took him a half-hour with his wand, and he definitely could not fuse all the minute parts non-verbally, but he had fixed it. Professor March had told him just last week that he had not needed to wind it since that day.</p>
<p>As for Defense Against the Dark Arts… it was the subject Quentin wished he was the most skilled in. Fixing broken shit was cool and all, but being able to do battle with the fiercest dark wizards would be pretty awesome. Not that he had any intention of actually getting into any magical skirmishes any time soon, but if he did decide to pursue a job at MACUSA or even the Ministry, those N.E.W.T’s and his continued studies in Potions and Care of Magical Creatures would give him a pretty good shot at most positions.</p>
<p>For now, any moment he wasn't in class, he was writing papers, practicing his spells and potions, and studying for exams. The final year was much more focused on practical application rather than theory, and he had already spent more than a few late nights in his common room and the library refining his wand technique. He had yet to go to another common room party, a fact that upset Julia more than it did him.</p>
<p>Professor Brzezinski circled the classroom, looking into cauldrons and giving notes on what he saw. Quentin watched as he picked up a vial of Eliot’s potion - he held it up to the light, and brought it under his nose. Even from across the room and with several different aromas in the air, Quentin could smell the unmistakable essence of butter rum. The professor smiled at Eliot and nodded.</p>
<p>“A bit strong,” he told Eliot, who’s face held an expression of complete disinterest, even as his eyes dimmed a bit under the critique. “Not so much essence of rum next time, but otherwise, great job. And, as always, a creative flavor profile.”</p>
<p>Quentin and Eliot had hardly spoken since the day he was sorted. Quentin had to work just to find a few spare minutes to spend with his sister, but even if he’d had time, he wouldn’t have wasted it on Eliot. The boy hadn’t tried to apologize for his remarks that night, and that was just fine. Quentin’s time was better spent on his studies, and not thinking about the heat that curled inside him when their eyes had first met. At least, that’s what he told himself the many, many times it crossed his mind throughout the day.</p>
<p>Eliot set his wand on his work table as he began to gather up his potion materials. His wand was longer than most - it had to be at least 14 inches, and appeared to be made of ash wood. The way he handled it during spell-casting was unlike anything Quentin had ever seen before. Eliot possessed an effortless elegance to his movements that made Quentin’s head spin. During a Charms class a couple of weeks ago, where they were practicing levitation charms on large weights, Quentin had gotten so distracted by Eliot’s fingers gripping and twirling his wand that he had nearly destroyed his table when he didn’t notice the 100 pound weight he was working with had floated up a few feet, and then suddenly dropped back down hard when he lost his focus. Professor March had taken ten points away from Hufflepuff for his lack of attention.</p>
<p>Even now, as Eliot went through the routine motions of cleaning his cauldron and packing away his books, Quentin had to force himself to look away and concentrate on his potion. Eliot wore, just as Quentin did, his house cloak and robe. Instead of stripes, his tie was a green and silver paisley print. It brought out the green tones in his hazel eyes; perhaps no one commented on the change in uniform because they were struck dumb by the beautiful face above it.</p>
<p>Why did he have to be so damn sexy and a giant prick? Why couldn’t he be sexy, a nice guy, and <em> have </em>a giant prick? Quentin could have dealt with that combo just fine. With a sigh, he turned back to his work table.</p>
<p>Professor Brzezinski made his way over to Quentin just as he was giving his potion the last few stirs. Quentin liked the teacher - he had been tough during his entrance exams, but fair. He was taller than Quentin, with a blonde goatee and mustache. His blue eyes twinkled when he lectured, and the speed and sureness at which his hands moved when crafting potions was unmatched.</p>
<p>Quentin was just about to scoop up a potion sample for the professor when his cauldron suddenly started to shake. Quentin quickly recoiled from the pot, but not fast enough - he caught a full face of the liquid as it exploded up and over his work table, and anyone standing close to it - which fortunately, was just Quentin. He was lucky the potion had cooled off, had it been still simmering he may have been headed to the Medical Ward.</p>
<p>Quentin could feel the heat of his classmates' stares as he wiped the liquid off his face. Mistakes of this level weren’t unheard of at the seventh year - but really, he should know better. He had to get his head back in the game, or his legacy at Hogwarts would be the student who crossed the ocean to flunk every class.</p>
<p>The professor, not unkindly, said “Clean yourself and your table up, and leave your materials here. I’ll be in the classroom after dinner.” Quentin nodded, frustration evident in his eyes as he looked at the mess in front of him. “You’re working with a rare modification - I don’t think I’ve ever seen a student attempt a peach-flavored cough potion before. Think about how that sweetness affects the simmering time.”</p>
<p>Quentin nodded, and used his wand to cast a few cleaning charms over his table. The professor moved on, and Poppy Day, a fiery redheaded Slytherin, leaned over to him. </p>
<p>“That’s a tricky one,” she told him, smiling. “If you want, I can meet you back here later to help you work on it.”</p>
<p>Quentin smirked to himself as he cleaned out his cauldron. Poppy had been very… friendly since he’d first met her in potions class. Friendlier than any other Slytherin, for sure. He’d agreed to meet her to study in the library one evening, thinking there would be a group of students meeting. Instead, he found only Poppy, and it became clear after about ten minutes that studying was not her priority. At first, he wasn’t <em> not </em>interested, but Poppy clearly only had one speed, which was quite a bit faster than Quentin was ready for. After she’d basically attacked him in a back corner of the library, he’d disentangled himself from her and made a quick exit. Julia had found the entire thing hilarious when he’d told her about it.</p>
<p>That didn’t stop Poppy from trying, though. Quentin wasn’t sure if it was because he was something new or what, but her persistence, while a nice ego boost, was starting to grate.</p>
<p>“Thanks, but I have to figure this out on my own,” he told her, packing up the last of his books he’d need for studying during his free period. He was meeting Alice in the library later to go over some Defense Against the Dark Arts homework.</p>
<p>“Well, offer’s open,” she told him, smiling wickedly. </p>
<p>From the corner of his eye, Quentin could see Eliot looking in his direction. He was glaring at Poppy’s back as she, oblivious, packed up her things. Eliot’s eyes moved to Quentin, his expression turning slightly softer as he stood by the door, about to leave the classroom. Quentin fully turned his face to Eliot and met his eyes. Eliot hung there for a second, that same intensity Quentin remembered from the sorting ceremony in his eyes. The urge to close the distance between them was almost irresistible. Quentin must be hallucinating - this wasn’t the way someone who thought he wasn’t ‘cute enough’ would be staring at him. Then Eliot’s lips pursed, and he turned away and out the door.</p>
<p>Quentin let out a breath he hadn’t known he was holding. The stress of his schoolwork must be getting to him, for him to think for a moment that Eliot had looked at him with anything but contempt in his eyes. After double checking to make sure he had everything he needed before he had to return later that night, he stuffed his wand in his robe pocket and made his way to the great hall for lunch.</p>
<p>--</p>
<p>“God, this thing is creepy.” Alice grimaced at the picture of the Inferius in their Defense Against the Dark Arts textbook, shuddering as she turned the page.</p>
<p>“Well, it is a re-animated dead body,” Quentin responded. “Would be weird if it wasn’t creepy.”</p>
<p>They were sitting at a table in the back of the library, reviewing a few notes from their last Dark Arts class. The blue and bronze tie she wore made Alice’s eyes look even bluer as they skimmed down Quentin’s notes.</p>
<p>Though he’d visited it almost daily for the past month, Quentin still had to stop himself from gazing around the library in awe. It could have held five Ilvermorny libraries within its walls. Tens of thousands of books were stored here, lined up in beautifully carved wooden shelves along the walls and throughout the various rooms. A few meeting rooms were set aside for study groups, and tables adorned with small reading lamps were scattered throughout. It had already become Alice’s favorite place to study.</p>
<p>The head librarian was Zelda Schiff, and she asked that students refer to her as Madame Zelda. She was very pretty, a tall, thin woman with wavy blonde hair and clear blue eyes behind cat-eye spectacles. Though she was quite tall, she constantly held her hands up at waist level in such a way that she appeared dainty even as she towered over Quentin. A Slytherin graduate, she viewed the library as sacred ground, and the books as holy artifacts. Everyone at Hogwarts knew better than to mistreat or damage a book in any way, or Zelda would make you pay for it in house points, detention, or manual labor. Julia had told him that Penny had accidentally set a text on fire last year while practicing a blasting curse, and he was still working off his debt.</p>
<p>Even with her eccentricities, she was an amazing librarian. Quentin thought she had the entire place memorized, as she knew exactly where any book he’d had asked for was located. She was also very lenient with the older students, allowing them to use the meeting rooms after hours. After the first week, she’d pointed Quentin and Alice to the table they were at now, telling them they were less likely to be disturbed in the back of the library, and to remember to use a muffling charm if they were in a large group.</p>
<p>Defense Against the Dark Arts was one of the few classes Quentin and Alice had together - that and Transfiguration. The seventh years were split up between the various subjects and houses, and depending on if they were going to sit for a N.E.W.T. or not. Alice was going for five N.E.W.T.’s this year, which made her certifiably insane, in Quentin’s opinion. He considered himself borderline just for attempting three.</p>
<p>Quentin had, so far, seen no evidence of Maykovsky’s disdain directed solely at him. The professor was proving himself to be an equal-opportunity asshole, treating everyone with the same contempt Quentin had seen over the summer. Quentin knew better than to get comfortable though - he felt like something special would come his way sooner or later. So far the curriculum had been pretty basic, covering many of the spells and creatures he’d learned at Ilvermorny, just with a non-verbal element. He was sure the second half of the semester would prove a bit more challenging.</p>
<p>Mayakovsky did like pop quizzes, and Quentin and Alice always made sure to review the latest chapters after every class. Tomorrow was a double, so two hours of Mayakovsky. While Quentin didn’t care for the teacher, the class was incredibly interesting - as close as you could get to fighting with magic. The rumor was that Mayakovsky would allow duels towards the end of term, which both excited and terrified Quentin. </p>
<p>“So I think the next exam will cover dementors, inferi, ghouls, pixies, and werewolves? I need to brush up on pixies.” Quentin grabbed the hair tie he kept around his wrist, and shoved his hair into a low, short ponytail. He was bent over scribbling notes when a loud thump on the table made him nearly jump out of his chair.</p>
<p>He looked up into Julia’s smiling face. She and Kady settled in across from Quentin and Alice, pulling books and parchment out of the bag she had thrown down on the table. They all had Dark Arts together, and met sometimes to study.</p>
<p>“You guys reviewing creatures? I heard Mayakovsky only really tests on the dementors,” Julia said, peering at Alice’s open text book.</p>
<p>“Really?” Quentin asked, frowning. “But we’ve barely covered them, and he was so focused on pixies last class so-”</p>
<p>“Yeah, well, he’s also an asshole that likes to fuck with his students at every opportunity. Trust me, the tests will focus on what’s most dangerous, not on what he actually talks about.”</p>
<p>“Um, ok, we’ll go over that then, and the transfiguration homework. I also… need some help with a potion.” Quentin was hoping the incident earlier that morning hadn’t already made the rounds.</p>
<p>Kady grinned at him. “Yeah, I heard you had a bit of an exploding problem in Potions today.”</p>
<p>Well. So much for that.</p>
<p>“At least it didn’t destroy your cauldron,” Alice said, patting Quentin’s hand soothingly.</p>
<p>“You heard about it?” Quentin asked, surprised. She hadn’t mentioned anything.</p>
<p>“Everyone heard about it,” she confirmed. “I think you probably need to simmer for a few minutes less and add some extra stirs to properly dilute the peach essence.”</p>
<p>“It’s ok, Q,” Julia added. “Who hasn’t blown up a potion or two?”</p>
<p>“Uh, you,” Quentin exhaled as he wrote down Alice’s suggestions.</p>
<p>“You could ask Eliot,” Julia said, her eyes sliding easily over to his. Had he been a cat, Quentin’s tail would have immediately flared up.</p>
<p>“Eliot?” he squawked, his voice cracking on the name.</p>
<p>“You know, the Slytherin you couldn’t stop staring at your first night? And in pretty much every class I have with the two of you? He’s kind of an expert at Potions.”</p>
<p>“I - I -” he stuttered, feeling his face grow warm. He had purposefully not told anyone about any interactions he’d had (or overheard other people have) with Eliot. Julia, in particular, would never let it go if she thought he was interested in anyone. He could practically see the cartoon hearts floating around her head. Whatever plan she was concocting in her brain that revolved around his love life, Quentin wanted no part of it.“I was not staring.”</p>
<p>Kady was smiling at his rebuttal. “Dude, even I felt like I was intruding.”</p>
<p>Next to him, Alice piped in. “He’s very attractive.”</p>
<p>Quentin turned to Alice, his eyes wide. “Really? I hadn’t noticed,” he said dryly.</p>
<p>“I mean, he’s kind of a dick and gets around, but yeah, you could do worse,” Kady continued, shrugging.</p>
<p>Quentin could help himself. “He gets around?”</p>
<p>Julia quickly jumped in. “He just… dates a lot. He had a serious relationship with someone, a Hufflepuff I think, a couple of years ago that didn’t end well. Since then, he’s not really… settled down.”</p>
<p>Kady laughed. “Please. That guy gets more play than I did.” At Julia’s look, she added, “I mean, before we got together, of course.”</p>
<p>Quentin sat back in his chair and absorbed that information. Eliot dated a lot. Eliot used to date a Hufflepuff. It had not ended well. Was that why he’d glowered at Quentin as soon as he’d been sorted? Because he was a Hufflepuff? What a stupid reason to dislike someone. If any house members got the award for most likely to break your heart, it had to be Slytherin.</p>
<p>He was so absorbed in his own thoughts, he almost missed Alice’s soft voice.  “What about that girl he always hangs out with? Margo?”</p>
<p>“She’s a raging cunt,” Kady said bluntly.</p>
<p>Alice’s eyes widened.</p>
<p>Julia, again, quickly jumped in. “She’s only that way on the Quidditch field,” she said, giving Kady a warning look. “She’s just super competitive. And yeah, maybe a little… blunt at times, which is a quality a lot of people find very attractive,” she said, pointedly to Kady.</p>
<p>“Whatever,” Kady said, crossing her arms and sitting back in her chair. “That bitch tries to spell me off my broom again this year, I’m going after her.”</p>
<p>Julia rolled her eyes. “Margo is super smart,” she told Alice. “She could’ve been a Ravenclaw, for sure. She’s a little rough around the edges, but inside she’s a teddy bear. Trust me."</p>
<p>Kady snorted. "She'd kick your ass if she heard you saying that."</p>
<p>Ignoring Kady, Julia continued. "I’ve seen you guys talking in class sometimes, yeah?” </p>
<p>“Yeah,” Alice said, looking down at her book as she spoke. “She’s very well-read. We talked about our pets and recognized Marengo’s name.”</p>
<p>At Kady’s confused look, Quentin told her, “It’s the name of Alice’s cat. She’s white, and Alice named her after Napoleon's favorite horse.” </p>
<p>Kady’s eyebrows raised as she quietly said, “When did I become surrounded by dorks?”</p>
<p>Turning back to Alice, Quentin said wryly, "She’s very attractive."  He blinked at his sister from beneath his lashes.</p>
<p>Alice laughed and bumped his shoulder. Quentin opened his mouth to say more when he was silenced by a loud “Ssshhh!” from across the way.  He looked over to see the little shit from sorting day, the one that had told him to go puke in the hall, holding his finger over his lips. Quentin scowled at him, and the group focused on their books.</p>
<p>--</p>
<p>They worked together in silence for a bit, exchanging notes and whispers as more students filed into the library. Late in the day, Quentin walked to the front of the library, hoping to ask Madame Zelda if she knew of any books or articles on cushioning charms when he saw her and Penny engaged in a tense conversation.</p>
<p>“I’m telling you, I’ve tried everything. She’s just not responding.” Penny leaned against the counter that Madame Zelda stood behind, her arms crossed as she frowned.</p>
<p>“Well, that is upsetting,” the librarian said. “Although not surprising. I suspect she is the reason why Jacob Cloke’s ‘Advanced Spells Volume 3’ is missing from the Restricted Section. You think she’d at least return the books that have her name attached to them.”</p>
<p>“Look, can we say I’m done paying back my debt?” Penny’s hands gripped the counter as he stared at Madame Zelda. “I’ve been your errand boy since last Christmas. I must have paid for that book ten times over.”</p>
<p>Madame Zelda fixed him with a look that would have turned most men into ashes. Penny, though, looked nonplussed as he waited for her to respond. “‘That book’,” she said through pursed lips, “was one of only ten copies of ‘Silverkitten’s Vernacular of Spellcasting’ in existence. I don’t even know how you got out the door with it, let alone set it on fire.”</p>
<p>“Well it’s not my fault you have a shitty check-out system. That book totally had a life of its own, by the way. It jumped right in front of my wand!”</p>
<p>Madame Zelda finally noticed Quentin over Penny’s shoulder, and she smiled brightly. “Quentin! Did you have a question?” Turning back to Penny, she told him firmly, “I will see you tomorrow after lunch.”</p>
<p>Rolling his eyes, Penny glared at Madame Zelda and Quentin, and stalked away.</p>
<p>After he spoke to the librarian and located the book he needed, he returned to his friends to find that Penny was sitting at the head of the table. Quentin refrained from frowning as he slid back into his seat. He felt a tingle go through him as he passed through the familiar shell of a muffling charm.</p>
<p>From what he’d witnessed of Penny in the past few weeks, while he couldn’t contest the wizard’s intelligence, he’d had no idea what else Julia had seen in him. Well, beyond his dark, soulful eyes, muscular arms, full lips, and tight rear end. Once Penny opened his mouth, though, all attraction fell away. He was short-tempered, selfish, and just plain mean. Quentin had seen him laugh at first-years that got lost on the moving staircases (those things were not easy to navigate!), and more than once Quentin had been the subject of his belittlement when he struggled with a spell that was no effort for Penny.</p>
<p>He’d also told Quentin repeatedly that he was ‘thinking too loud.’ What the hell did that even mean? How did this guy qualify for Gryffindor and Quentin didn’t? </p>
<p>“Are you sure you haven’t talked to her?” Penny said, interrupting Quentin’s brooding. Quentin looked up to find him staring daggers at Julia as she closed her book with a sigh.</p>
<p>“No! I told you, I don’t really talk to Marina anymore.” </p>
<p>“Why don’t you back off, Penny? Go find her yourself.” Kady continued scribbling on her parchment, eyes moving between that and her textbook.</p>
<p>“I’ve tried! No response to owl’s or anything. They just come back with my note tied to their foot.”  He sat back in the chair heavily, groaning.  “This is so fucked. I need my free period back. I’m not going to pass anything if I’m chasing down books all day.”</p>
<p>“Well, maybe you can remember that next time you’re blowing shit up.”</p>
<p>Julia frowned at Kady. “Look,” she said, “I can try to reach out to her, if you want. Maybe she’ll recognize Eleanor and will respond.” Eleanor was Julia’s pet - a beautiful white snowy owl that was very familiar to Quentin. When he’d gone to the Owlery to visit Gerald, his own large brown eagle owl, he often found them cuddling together.</p>
<p>Kady shifted in her seat. “I don’t think that’s a good idea.”</p>
<p>“No, it’s a great idea!” Penny said. “If I can get that damn book back, I can finally get off Zelda’s shit list.”</p>
<p>Julia smiled at him. “Sure. Although I think there’s a fat chance of that happening any time soon.”</p>
<p>Snorting, Penny got up and left. Kady tapped her pencil against her book as she stared at the table and frowned. Quentin and Alice glanced at each other uneasily - the tension had definitely ratcheted up a few notches in the past few minutes.</p>
<p>“I don’t think you should owl Marina,” Kady said to Julia. “She’s bad news.”</p>
<p>Julia sighed. Quentin got the impression this wasn’t the first time they’d had this conversation.</p>
<p>“She’s not bad news, she just… doesn’t always think about the consequences of what she’s doing.”</p>
<p>“She thinks about it. She just doesn’t care. She’ll pull you down with her.” Kady’s hand moved under the table, and Quentin was sure they were holding hands.</p>
<p>Julia smiled at Kady. “I know better, Kady. I have you to look out for me.” She leaned in and gave Kady a quick kiss.</p>
<p>Turning to Alice, Julia asked, "Have you decided which study trip you’re going on?"</p>
<p>"What study trip?" Quentin asked.</p>
<p>Alice looked to Quentin, to Julia, and then back to Quentin. "Um, I was going to tell you…"</p>
<p>"Oh." Julia instantly realized she'd fucked up. "I'm sorry…"</p>
<p>"No, no," Alice said. "It's fine. Some of the seventh years can go on a study trip abroad, to study the magical essence of some naturally occurring phenomena. There's one going to Norway, another to Denmark, Iceland, the Netherlands...</p>
<p>"Wow, Alice, that's great!" Quentin felt a twinge in his belly as he realized he didn't know about the trips because he would not be going on one. But he was proud of and happy for Alice. He took in her downcast eyes, and realized she didn't look very cheerful. "Wait - why isn't it great?"</p>
<p>"Well, the trips can't take away from normal school time. So it would be over the Christmas break."</p>
<p>Ah. Alice wouldn't be going home with him for the holiday. Christmas was one of the hardest times for Alice. The holiday had been a big deal in the Quinn household, and the first few after her family passed were so difficult. The past few years though, they'd started new traditions at the Coldwater residence - decorating the tree as soon as they got home, helping Dad set up the house. It had become one of Quentin’s favorite holidays, and while those traditions had brightened Alice up, a sad melancholy always settled upon her at this time of the year. If the trip would keep Alice’s mind away from unhappy memories, Quentin would happily celebrate alone.</p>
<p>"That's ok," Quentin told her, almost automatically. "Have you told Mom and Dad?"</p>
<p>"Yeah," she said, that nervous smile back on her face. “They seem ok with it. They mentioned maybe taking a holiday during it, instead of staying at home - like to California or Hawaii. I’m sure that would be fun.”</p>
<p>Quentin frowned as he considered that. While he’d love to get out of cold and snowy New Jersey for the break, hanging out on a crowded beach with his parents wasn’t exactly his idea of a good time. Then, an idea occurred to him that brightened his eyes considerably.</p>
<p>“Maybe - maybe I could stay here?” he said to her. “I’ve read that the castle is open to students that want to stay during the break.”</p>
<p>The more he thought about it, the more the idea appealed to him. He could have time to truly explore the grounds, without the weight of exams and studying on his shoulders. He could spend some time in Diagon Alley (he’d yet to visit so many shops he’d read about - Olivander’s, Flourish and Blotts), Hogsmead, and explore the castle. </p>
<p>“It is, but Quentin, you could come back with me. You know my parents would love to see you,” Julia offered.</p>
<p>“Thanks, Julia, but I think I’d rather stay. I could explore the grounds, and go into Hogsmead a bit more - there’s no way I’ll get to everywhere I want to go with all the homework and studying I have to do during the school year.” By the time he finished speaking, Quentin was positively beaming. Why hadn’t he thought of this sooner?</p>
<p>Beside him, Alice frowned. “Well, now I kind of want to stay too. I still haven’t gone to Flourish and Blotts yet.”</p>
<p>Quentin smiled at her. “No, you need to go. Your brain is the entire reason we’re here. You know you’d be mad if you passed on the chance to go to Norway or wherever. We’ll make time to visit Diagon Alley one weekend.”  Another thought occurred to Quentin. “Do you think Mom and Dad will be mad if I stay here?”</p>
<p>Alice shook her head. “I’m sure they would understand. They’d probably enjoy the holiday to themselves, anyway.”</p>
<p>Quentin nodded, making a mental note to send them an owl at his next opportunity.</p>
<p>“Well, you won’t be alone! Kady will be staying too,” Julia told him.</p>
<p>Quentin looked to Kady, who nodded. At the questioning looks from Alice and Quentin, she said simply, “I don’t go home unless I absolutely have to.”</p>
<p>Quentin nodded, closing his book. It was almost dinner time. “Alice, will you walk with me to the Great Hall?” he asked her.</p>
<p>She nodded, closing her books as well. Across the table, Kady’s face had regained her familiar smirk. “Still having trouble with the moving stairs, Coldwater?”</p>
<p>Quentin frowned. How was it everyone was always able to see right through him? Last week he’d been late to Care of Magical Creatures because the stairs kept switching him to unfamiliar hallways. “There’s just no logic behind them! I don’t know how anyone gets anywhere.”</p>
<p>--</p>
<p>After dinner, Quentin entered the potions classroom. Professor Brzezinski nodded at him from behind his desk at the front of the class. Quentin approached his work table, where all his materials from earlier in the day were waiting for him. He noticed something new, though - a small piece of parchment, folded over with his name written on top in a flowing, elegant script.</p>
<p>Frowning, Quentin set his bag down and reached for the note. Unfolding it, he read:</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Pour Chelidonium Miniscula into a cauldron and bring to a simmer</p>
<p>Add five drops of peach essence into the cauldron and stir clockwise 23 times until completely dissolved</p>
<p>Allow to simmer for 17 minutes</p>
<p>Stir five times counter-clockwise</p>
<p>Allow mixture to sit for 5 minutes</p>
<p> </p>
<p>It had no signature. Quentin turned the parchment over in his hands, and then set it aside as he began work on his assignment.</p>
<p>Almost an hour later, Quentin handed Professor Brzezinski a sample of his cough potion. The sweet peach smell filled the classroom. The Professor held it up to the light, and then brought it under his nose. Smiling, he surprised Quentin when he downed it in one go.</p>
<p>“A marked improvement!” he told Quentin after clearing his throat.  “The cold weather was giving me a cough, but this cleared it right up. I can’t give you full marks since it took you four attempts, but definitely passing.”</p>
<p>“Thank you,” Quentin told him. He then began cleaning his cauldron and gathering his books. He placed the note with the correct recipe in between the pages of his potion book. Perhaps Alice or Julia had left it for him? That wouldn’t really make sense though, as he had just seen them before dinner. </p>
<p>Quentin pondered it the entire walk back to his dorm.</p>
<p>-- </p>
<p>tbc in Chapter 4: The Quidditch Match</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0004"><h2>4. The Quidditch Match</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>This chapter contains the prompt that started this whole story - "Quidditch captain Margo." Enjoy!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <em>
    <span>Quentin</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Alice. Alice - you’re cutting off my circulation.” Quentin carefully peeled Alice’s hand off his forearm, where she was gripping so tightly, her hands left an imprint on his skin.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Quentin, how does anyone do this? It looks terrifying.” Quentin smiled as Alice watched the Quidditch players zooming from one side of the pitch to the other. They were barely five minutes into the game, and already Alice had already peppered him with a dozen questions and random Quidditch facts, in between gasps of excitement (or horror) as the players (or one player in particular) dodged bludgers and zig-zagged down the field.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Alice, you’ve watched Quidditch before,” Quentin said, bemused.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, but… it wasn’t like this.” Alice bit her bottom lip as the players swirled around each other, often narrowly avoiding a collision by inches. It was true - the Quidditch matches at Ilvermorny didn’t have near the speed as what they were watching now, or the electricity from the crowd. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Even though Ilverymorny had a larger student body than Hogwarts, Quentin had never seen such a packed Quidditch match before. The wizard sport Quodpot was much more popular in the states - though Quentin much preferred Quidditch. Quodpot was a completely ridiculous game centering around getting the ball in a pot at either end of the pitch before it exploded. It lacked much of the technique and strategy required for Quidditch, and had a dumbed down set of rules to make it less complex. Of course the American wizard game was easier and had things that exploded.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Quentin and Alice cheered as a Ravenclaw chaser hurled the quaffle through a Slytherin hoop, scoring ten more points for the house. Margo, her captain badge glinting in the sunlight, snarled at her keeper.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You let that happen again, Jared, you can say goodbye to your balls! If you even have any!” Margo then dove to retrieve the quaffle, swirling on the way to avoid a bludger. She and her other two chasers sped to the other side of the pitch, the aforementioned quaffle tucked securely in her arms.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Quentin let out a low whistle as Margo dodged the bludgers hit her way by the opposing beaters. Moving so fast she was a green blur, she hurled the quaffle deftly through the middle ring in a perfect curveball. As she made a large arc back towards the center of the pitch, she checked a Ravenclaw beater with her hip, throwing them and their broom back towards the stands. Margo was definitely impressive on the Quidditch pitch; Quentin could see how she earned her nickname that Julia had told him about - ‘Margo the Destroyer.’</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Quentin and Alice were in a blue and bronze colored high-rise platform for spectators, surrounded by other Ravenclaws. Everyone was bundled up in their robes, cloaks, and coats, house scarves around their necks to protect against the chilly winds that blew through the pitch. Several Hufflepuffs were clustered together in one of their yellow and black bleachers, but Quentin had opted to sit with Alice. He knew she’d be fine sitting with the Hufflepuffs if he’d wanted, but he also knew she’d want to cheer with her own house.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>For all of his awkwardness elsewhere, Quentin was surprisingly skilled on a broomstick. All first years were required to take Flying at Ilvermorny, and his broom had instantly jumped up into his hand at his first command. He could have been a skilled chaser or beater, if he had any desire to hurtle around the sky with balls trying to kill him. Quidditch was fun to watch, and if they could cast magic while they played, he would have been more interested, but he was fine with his feet firmly on the ground. He had an old broom tucked away in his room, and maybe one day he’d take it out for a spin around the grounds.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Poppy glided by on her broom. Quentin couldn’t imagine a more perfect candidate for a seeker - he was sure her single-mindedness when pursuing a target made her invaluable at the position. She caught Quentin’s eye and gave him a wave. Quentin sheepishly gave her a small wave back, as Alice nudged his shoulder.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What’s up with that?” she asked him, smiling knowingly.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Quentin was saved from replying by Margo seemingly appearing out of nowhere directly in front of their bleachers, and in front of Poppy.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“POPPY!” she yelled, her eyes blazing. “Get your eyes off Coldwater’s dick and in the goddamn sky. I swear to God, if you miss that snitch, I’ll rip out your fucking clit.” Poppy, looking only mildly perturbed by Margo’s threat, took to the sky. Margo turned to the stands, and gave Alice a sly wink. She then sped off towards the pitch.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“So what’s up with that?” Quentin asked Alice, as her pale cheeks flushed with something beyond the cold weather. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“She’s very… intense,” Alice said, as Slytherin scored again.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“That’s one word for it,” Quentin said, flinching as a Ravenclaw chaser took a nasty hit from a bludger. Margo circled the injured chaser, cheering as Slytherin recovered the quaffle and scored again.  “Bloodthirsty is another.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Passionate,” Alice said almost breathlessly.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Quentin watched the emotions play across Alice’s face as she followed Margo’s form across the pitch. Pure adoration sparkled in her eyes, her mouth slightly open as she watched Slytherin build their lead. The rest of the Ravenclaw students around them were muttering about dirty game play and cursing Margo, but Alice was completely enraptured. Quentin wondered when this had happened - how had he not noticed how completely gone Alice was on Margo? His only class with the two of them was Defense Against the Dark Arts, and everyone was usually consumed in their studies. Alice had never been shy about questioning Quentin on his (few) relationships - he’d have to make sure he returned the favor.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>A hand landed on his shoulder, startling Quentin out of his thoughts. Julia and Kady were next to him, settling onto the open space on the bench. Julia held a few pairs of binoculars in her hand.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Here,” she said, handing a pair to each Quentin and Alice. “Man. Slytherin is kicking our ass.” Julia motioned to the scoreboard, which showed the score of 80-30, in favor of Slytherin.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Did you know the longest Quidditch game on record lasted longer than three months?” Alice asked them, holding her binoculars in her lap. “They had to keep bringing in subs so the players could get some rest.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You sure did your research.” Quentin gave Alice a knowing look as he peered through his binoculars. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I just wanted to make sure I understood all the rules. There are over 700 different fouls a player can get!” Alice raised her binoculars back to her eyes as the teams moved farther away from their section of the bleachers.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I bet you memorized every one,” Julia said fondly.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Fuck,” Kady said, also intently watching through her binoculars. “Margo is so good at riding the edge of the rules. She is totally elbowing every single Ravenclaw she can get near, but none of the officials can actually catch her in the act.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>As the girls continued their Quidditch discussion, someone in the stands caught his eye. Several sets of high-rise bleachers circled the pitch, and a familiar form was in the green and silver box across the way. Quentin recognized Eliot’s frame as he cheered for Margo, his house scarf wound loosely around his neck.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Feeling just a little bit like a creeper, Quentin focused on Eliot, taking in his broad, relaxed smile as he yelled support for his friend. Quentin had wondered more than a little bit about the nature of Eliot and Margo’s relationship. They seemed very close, with constant little touches and meaningful eye contact that normally would have Quentin concluding that they were lovers. And while that certainly could be the case, Quentin got the feeling there was much more to their relationship than a simple romance. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>It made him worried for Alice. He wasn’t even sure if she knew how much she was already head over heels for Margo. Alice was a very private person; it had taken almost two years before she confessed to Quentin how horribly alone she felt after her family’s death. If she gave Margo her heart, what would Margo do with it? Quentin resolved to talk to Alice at his next opportunity - while he wanted his sister to spread her wings and explore all Hogwarts had to offer (even if that included gorgeous but slightly insane Slytherins), he wanted to make sure she wouldn’t get hurt in the process.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Shoving aside any further thoughts of Alice and anyone, Quentin refocused back on Eliot. He was sitting next to Idri, a gorgeous Gryffindor who Quentin had Charms and Care of Magical Creatures with. Both of them were smiling and chatting as they watched the game, their heads dipping close together in conversation. At one point, Idri reached over and placed his hand on Eliot’s knee. Quentin felt a cold ball form in his stomach, and he quickly removed his binoculars from his eyes. The roar of the crowd hit him full force, and he was almost startled as he looked around at the happy faces of his friends.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>This was ridiculous. Eliot had made it quite clear he had no interest in Quentin, and Quentin needed to get over this… whatever it was that made him tunnel vision into those deep hazel eyes at every opportunity. There hadn’t been many - despite having a couple of classes together, they’d only exchanged a few awkward sentences about potions and spells. At least, for Quentin it was awkward, he got the impression they hardly registered on Eliot’s radar; he’d hardly even met Quentin’s eyes when they spoke. Quentin wondered why he did this to himself - to be this distracted by someone he'd hardly spoken to, who had already proven himself indifferent to Quentin.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Q, did you see? We caught up!” Alice grabbed Quentin’s arm and pointed at the scoreboard, which showed Ravenclaw at 90, to Slytherin’s 80.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Great,” Quentin said, though his voice lacked any real conviction. Resolving to focus on the game, he brought the binoculars back up to his eyes. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He followed the action but, as if he had no will of his own, he soon found himself focusing back on the Slytherin tower. He found Eliot again easily enough, still laughing and cheering. Idri was also still by his side, although he had a frown on his face, and his arms were crossed in front of him. Before he could think on that further, a loud squeal sounded in his ear.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh, she’s seen the snitch!” Julia bounced in her seat, as a huge cheer sounded from the crowd.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Quentin pulled his eyes away from the binoculars and sure enough, the Ravenclaw seeker was speeding towards their side of the arena. Even though the crowd was louder than Quentin had heard all afternoon, Margo’s voice rang out loud and clear. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Poppy GET YOUR PALE ASS IN GEAR NOW!” Margo and her chasers sped towards the Ravenclaw seeker, most likely to try to block her away from the snitch.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Poppy was way ahead of her, though. Approaching from up above where she’d been hovering, she suddenly tore a path down and around the spectator boxes, weaving through them as she chased the snitch. Quentin could see the sunlight glinting off it as it weaved it’s way around the pitch.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The crowd only got louder as a Ravenclaw beater sent a bludger her way, and then - then Poppy held up her hand in victory, the golden wings of the snitch beating between her closed fingers.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The Slytherin crowd exploded in cheers, as the Ravenclaws around Quentin groaned. The game was over, with Slytherin the victors - Slytherin 240 to Ravenclaws 90.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Ugh,” Kady groaned, as students stood up to leave the pitch. “Margo will be insufferable now.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Because she wasn’t before?” Julia said, smiling. “You’ll kick her ass, babe.” She punctuated the sentiment with a kiss on Kady's cheek.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"That's it?" Alice asked as students started filling out of the bleachers. "It's over? That was only like, twenty minutes!"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Well, yeah," Quentin said, smiling at Alice's frustration. "You did all that research and you don't know that the game ends when the snitch is caught?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"No! I know that. I just… thought it would take longer." Disappointment creased her lovely face as she frowned at the now-empty pitch.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Well, just be glad we weren't out here for three months," Julia said, giggling. Turning to Quentin, she said firmly, “We’re going to the Slytherin common room, and you’re coming.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Slytherin?” Alice asked. “Why would we go there?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Winning team hosts the after-party. It’s tradition!” Julia punctuated the sentence with a happy smile.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Quentin looked at Alice, who shrugged her shoulders. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Ok,” he sighed. “I guess we’re going to the Slytherin common room.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>--</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>If the Hufflepuff common room was a warm, sunny day, the Slytherin common room was a cold, dark night. Quentin couldn’t help gaping as he stepped into the dim room, his eyes drawn to the high ceiling and the large, ornate fireplace. The room had an earthy smell to it, almost like it had just rained after a long dry spell. An air of dampness permeated the space, which made sense as part of the room ran under the lake. Nothing could be further from the cozy, bright atmosphere of the Hufflepuff common room.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The dark green walls were covered in tapestries that depicted the adventures of famous Slytherins. Quentin shuddered as he passed one particularly gruesome illustration of Lady Faith Wharton, standing victorious over the dead bodies of several vampires.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Tufted leather couches and chairs were scattered around the space, along with wooden furniture painted with a dark varnish. Grey iron chandeliers adorned with lit candles were suspended from the ceiling. A fire crackled in the fireplace, and on the wall above it hung a huge carving of a snake with a glowing green eye.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Quentin pulled his cloak tighter around him as he walked further into the space. Green light filtered through the ornate windows that were set high up in the room, antique stained glass designs set into the panes. The high windows did face out into the lake, and Quentin had heard you could see the animals that lived in the lake swim by - including the giant squid. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Quentin tried to picture himself spending nights studying here, and his mind refused to paint that image. Looking to the back wall, Quentin saw something he never thought he’d see in any room within Hogwarts.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You guys have a bar?” Quentin asked, stepping up to the counter, where a series of leather covered stools stood empty. Along the wall behind the bar were several empty shelves.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Mayakovsky is our head of house. Did you really expect any different?” Margo walked past him, leaning against the end of the bar.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Eliot, dear. Let’s get things flowing, shall we? We have a fucking victory to celebrate!” Margo arched an eyebrow in Eliot’s direction as she took off her robe. She’d already changed out of her quidditch gear and into a tight black dress. Quentin averted his eyes, he didn't want to get caught checking out his sister's… whatever.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Eliot, having only just entered the room himself, stepped behind the bar. “Your wish is my command.” He had also removed his robe, revealing a light green and black checked button down under a black vest, tucked into tight dark pants. His tie, which was a green and silver paisley print (not the normal striped uniform tie), was secured in a complicated knot that Quentin knew he could never even begin to replicate. He was still wearing his wand holster over his shoulder, the straps tight around his back. As Eliot began pulling shakers and glasses out from beneath the bar, a few stray curls fell over his forehead. Quentin again averted his eyes, thanking the gods that robes were a typical wizard uniform at schools. They were fantastic at hiding inappropriate erections.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Well, what are you going to make? There’s no liquor here,” Alice said, her brow wrinkling in confusion.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh, isn’t there?” Margo said, smiling. Pulling out her wand, she gracefully swirled and flicked as she said “Revelio!”  The empty shelves were suddenly full of various wizard and muggle liquors. Quentin recognized several brands of firewhiskey, vodka, bourbon, and various mixers. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Eliot already had his wand in his hand, and Quentin watched as, without a word, Eliot tapped and jerked his wand. Several shot glasses popped up onto the bar, and a bottle of Firewhiskey deposited a small amount in each one. Quentin tried to keep his eyes off Eliot’s fingers as he gripped his wand, but he failed miserably.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Drink up, winners! Oh, and losers as well,” Margo added, smiling at a few members of the Ravenclaw quidditch team that had filtered in. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Uh-uh! Not so fast, first year!” Margo grabbed the wrist of a small boy that had reached up to the bar. “Get your ass up to your dorm, Charlton. The adults have the common room tonight.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Quentin looked down to see the boy that had talked to him at the sorting, and shushed him in the library, glaring up at Margo.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It’s my common room, too!” the-little-shit-now-known-as-Charlton protested. Who named their kid Charlton? It may have been more merciful to keep thinking of him as the little shit.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, not tonight. Sixth year and up! Everyone else, fuck off to your dorm or the library or where the fuck ever. You can hang with the big kids when you grow up.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Charlton glared at Margo, who glared right back. Eventually he turned and stomped off in the direction of the dorms.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“To Slytherin!” she said, holding up her glass. The Slytherins in the room repeated it back to her with gusto, while most students from the other houses just looked on silently. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Look, bitches,” she said, annoyance flashing across her face. “Yes, we beat your ass. Now you’re in our common room, drinking our liquor. To fucking Slytherin!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“To Slytherin!” This time almost all students chanted it back, raising their glasses. Quentin raised his - when had it gotten in his hand? He had no memory of picking it up - and slammed the whiskey down his throat.  It burned, and he coughed as he set the shot glass down on the bar.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Eliot smirked at him as he threw together more drinks.  “You a lightweight, Coldwater?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hardly,” Quentin replied, still clearing his throat. Suddenly he had a glass of water in his hand, and he gratefully took a large sip. “Thank you,” he said as he looked up to find Eliot’s eyes trained on him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No worries. Most Hufflepuffs can’t handle more than a few, anyway. Except Hoberman. That guy can out-drink Bambi, and that is not something I say lightly.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>At this, Quentin’s lips snapped into a thin line. He placed the glass of water back onto the bar, and turned away. The room had filled with students in the last few minutes - he mainly saw green and silver scarves, but there were several Ravenclaws, Gryffindors, and… it looked like the only Hufflepuffs were himself and Josh. He saw Julia and Kady getting comfortable on a round couch with Alice and Josh.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Quentin made his way through the students, and plopped down next to Josh, who was already opening up his bag (which had to have an extension charm applied to it, with all the vials and containers he was pulling out). This time, Quentin took a drag on the joint that Julia passed to him. The smoke left a good burn in his throat as he felt a wave of tranquility and calmness waft through his body.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Josh arched his eyebrows as Quentin sagged back into the sofa. “Good stuff, yeah? I’ve been trying out a few new relaxation charms on the plants, and I think this is the best one yet. It only lasts a few minutes, though. Have to keep hitting it to keep it rolling.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Quentin simply nodded as he pushed his hair behind his ears. He had a nagging worry about his transfiguration homework (they were focusing on conjuring spells - Quentin was attempting to conjure a replica of the One Ring from Lord of the Rings, but so far he could only create a simple aluminum band), but now he couldn’t even remember why he was concerned. Of course he’d pass Transfiguration! He was a fucking wizard. He could do anything!</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The murmur of voices nearby got a bit louder - Quentin looked up to see that Penny and Idri had joined their circle. Quentin knew this should probably bother him, but he couldn’t find it within him to care at the moment.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Another drink suddenly appeared in his hand, this one a peach color, with a little umbrella sitting in it. Quentin looked around to see where it had come from, and he saw a vest-clad back retreating back to the bar. He looked at his friends on the couch, and saw that everyone had some kind of beverage - Alice a yellow concoction, Julia a glass of red wine, Idri something tall, clear, and frosty, and Kady, Josh, and Penny a pint of firewhiskey. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>At his confused look, Julia said, “I told you Eliot is a whiz with potions - his skills also extend to beverages. He always seems to know what anyone will like just by looking at them. He’s not usually quite so generous with people outside of Slytherin though - this is definitely his top shelf stuff.” Julia looked at Quentin out of the corner of her eye as she took a sip of her wine.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Quentin rolled that around in his mind as he took a sip of his drink - the peach flavor was sweet on his tongue, and there was the bittersweet taste of gin. He didn’t normally favor gin, but this flavor combination was delicious. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Penny frowned at his drink. “This doesn’t taste top shelf to me,” he said. “I can get better whiskey at the Hog’s Head.” Quentin saw Julia smile into her wine as she took another sip.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>As he took another drink, he glanced up at the bar. Eliot was busy making drinks, but his eyes did flit up to lock with Quentin’s for a brief moment, before dipping back down to his work. Confusion clouded Quentin’s mind. Why would Eliot go through all the trouble of making custom drinks when none of them were in his house? Maybe it was because of Josh, since he supplied the weed, to keep him and his friends happy.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Eliot has many talents,” Idri said, taking a delicate sip of his drink. His eyes closed briefly as he savored the flavor. Quentin felt his pleasant peacefulness disappear as he wondered exactly how many of Eliot’s talents Idri was familiar with. Then he reminded himself, again, that he didn’t care.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Feeling a nudge at his side, Quentin turned to see Alice lifting an eyebrow towards his drink. Knowing what she wanted, Quentin took her glass and handed her his. Quentin took a sip, and recognized hers as a hard lemonade, which indeed, was one of Alice’s favorites. Alice nodded as she sipped at Quentin’s before handing it back to him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Peach like your cough potion! I forgot to ask, did you get that figured out?” Alice asked.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, I did, actually,” Quentin replied. “When I got back to the classroom that evening, there was a note left for me. It had exact instructions for what I needed - your suggestions were right, I needed to simmer for less time and stir a few more times.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“A note?” Julia asked.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah? I guess neither one of you left it?” Quentin frowned as they shook their heads. “Well, it worked perfectly. Brzezinski even drank it in front of me.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I wish I had a little fairy leaving me notes on how to finish my homework,” Josh grumbled. “I’ll be lucky if I graduate, with how Dark Arts is going so far this term.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>As Alice and Julia offered to help Josh study, Quentin glanced up at the bar. Eliot was standing in front of it, all bartending needs taken care of for the moment, holding a small glass of what Quentin was sure was flavored firewhiskey in his hand. Eliot watched his group, a small smile on his face. Their eyes locked, and suddenly Eliot was walking over to them. Quentin barely had time to react before Eliot was sitting in a high-backed leather chair just a foot or two away.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Enjoying our lovely common room?” he asked, looking as regal as a king holding court. Josh passed him the joint, and Eliot took a hit. Quentin felt his heartbeat speed up, and he sat up a bit straighter.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Um, it’s very… elegant,” Alice said quietly.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It’s dark and smells weird and god forbid we have any color other than black or green permeate the premises, but yes, it is elegant. I’ll give you that.” Eliot pointed his pinkie at Alice as he took a sip from his glass.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Still no dice on redecorating?” Idri asked him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Eliot rolled his eyes. “It’s all ‘tradition this’ and ‘heritage that’ and ‘the portraits will revolt if we remove the tapestries.’ All I’m asking for is a little bit more color. That isn’t a dark shade of green or black. At this point I’d even take a lime green.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Who cares?” Penny said, setting his empty pint glass on a nearby end table. “You’re out of here in a year.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It would be nice if it didn’t feel like someone died every time I walked in my common room.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“So, um, I thought I read that no one from any other house had been in this common room in like, seven-hundred years or something.” Quentin took another sip of his drink, glad he had something to do with his hands. He focused on the pretty beverage, knowing that if he raised his gaze, he’d be unable to look at anything besides Eliot. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>A snort came from Julia’s side of the couch. “That was true in the nineties, maybe. But the house shit doesn’t matter now. There's a lot more unity now than in the past."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The look on Eliot's face said he didn't quite agree. "I agree there is some… friendliness between some houses. But everyone wound up where they are for a reason." </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Margo walked up to the group, a half-full glass of wine in her hand. She settled on the arm of Eliot’s chair. He wrapped an arm around her waist, giving her hip a squeeze. Quentin glanced at Alice, and saw that she appeared to be very engrossed in her half-empty drink.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Maybe I’m in Ravenclaw, but I could have easily been in Gryffindor, or even Slytherin. You can’t just pigeon hole people based on a few qualities.” Julia tucked a lock of hair behind her ear as she spoke, a habit Quentin recognized from when she was irritated.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Calm down, Wicker. No one's pigeonholing anyone. Unless you ask nicely." Margo gestured to Julia with her glass. "The hat just puts you where you have the best chance of fostering your… talents. It's natural for each house to support its own members."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"I'm just saying that we're all a lot more similar than the houses make it seem. The hat actually took a good five minutes before it decided on Ravenclaw for me," Julia said, leaning a bit more heavily into Kady. Judging by her rosy cheeks, Quentin could see she was starting to feel her wine.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>To Quentin's surprise, Alice spoke up. "I got my choice of two houses at Ilvermorny. The hat here even thought about putting me in Slytherin."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Oh did it?" Margo gave Eliot an almost triumphant look as he rolled his eyes.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"If there's so much house unity, how come we're the only Hufflepuff's here?" Quentin wondered if Josh had also put a courage charm on his plants, for all the questions coming out of his mouth tonight.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He instantly knew that was the wrong thing to ask as the group went quiet and most of the students developed an intense interest in their drinks or potions. Josh shifted in his seat next to Quentin, and even Margo looked vaguely uncomfortable.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Any house is welcome to Slytherin parties when we open our doors. It’s not our fault they don’t take us up on our hospitality.” Eliot primly plucked a piece of fuzz off his pants, his relaxed form and neutral expression giving away nothing.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Kady snorted. “Please. You’re friendly to Hoberman because he’s got the best weed in the castle, and Coldwater just didn’t know any better.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Eliot’s eyes went hard as he looked back at Kady. “I’m quite sure I have no idea what you’re talking about.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Alright, alright. Simmer down, everyone. Tonight is about victories. Specifically, my victory.” Margo stood up, looking at Alice.  “Let me go grab that modified Deluminator from my dorm.  You’d wanted to take a look at it?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Alice looked up at Margo and smiled. “Y-yes. I’d love to.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>As Margo walked away, her hips swaying, Quentin turned back to Alice. “The hat really thought about putting you in Slytherin?” The thought of his Alice, full of knowledge and light, belonging in this room, was mind-boggling.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Alice nodded at him. “It - it said I could ‘achieve great things’ in Slytherin. But that my choice to join Thunderbird meant that Ravenclaw was probably the better choice for me.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>In the back of his mind, Quentin had always privately thought that the whole house system kind of set the students up for failure. There was a lot of anticipation around what house you might belong to. But to be given the label of belonging to the ‘smartest house’ or the ‘warrior house’ when you’re eleven years old meant that not only do you have to deal with being a teenager that is learning magic, but you also have to live up to whatever expectations come along with that label. And you’re stuck with it. Like, forever. Quentin couldn’t think of a single witch or wizard that had transferred houses or not been labeled as a ‘graduate of Pukwudgie’ or the like years after the fact. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Quentin was enjoying his time in Hufflepuff, truly more than he’d thought he would. But he couldn’t drop the thought that he was in the house of no expectations - and that weighed upon him. No one expected him to accomplish anything. So why should he? He tried to shove those thoughts down as he felt his anxiety start to build again, as it often did when he started to think about the future.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You’re thinking too loud again, Coldwater.” Quentin turned to find Penny staring at him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seriously? “What does that even mean?” Quentin asked. Josh passed him another joint, and Quentin took a long inhale.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Penny is a natural Legilimens,” Julia told him as she glared at Gryffindor in question. “He forgets sometimes that he shouldn't be digging around in people’s heads without their permission.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Fuck digging around. You need some Occlumency lessons, dude. Wrap that shit up. It’s spilling out all over the place.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>At Quentin’s alarmed look, Eliot stepped in. “That’s bullshit, Adiyodi. You need to keep your feelers in place. The onus is on you, not whoever’s mind you’re stepping in.” The firm tone in his voice sent a shiver down Quentin’s spine, even as he registered surprise that Eliot had been the first to defend him. He could imagine that voice whispering in his ear as his hands moved down his body… remembering what Penny had literally just said, he quickly wrapped that thought up in a little box and set it aside for later.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Whatever, man.” Penny sat back in his chair. “I’ve never met anyone that broadcasts their boring as fuck sad-sack shit like you.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>At that, Alice set her drink down. She didn’t appear to notice Margo returning to the group, a little black device that looked like a large pen held in her hand.  “Do not speak to my brother that way,” she said tersely, turning to fully face Penny.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>It wasn’t often that Alice got angry, but it was always a sight to behold when it happened. Quentin struggled to follow what was happening as a drug-induced haze settled over him. He saw Julia and Kady smiling as Eliot and Idri watched with interest. Margo’s eyes snapped between Alice and Penny, annoyance and a bit of excitement in her eyes.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What the fuck? I cannot leave you guys alone for five minutes.”  Margo put her hands on her hips, watching Alice as she stared Penny down. “Although I can definitely see the Slytherin in you now, Quinn.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Alice moved her gaze to Margo, who was now smiling. Alice seemed to remember herself, and she looked back down at her hands in her lap. Quentin was sure he could see her biting back her own smile. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Adiyodi. Apologize.” Eliot’s tone left no room for argument, even as a smile played on his lips.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Fuck that,” Penny said. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Apologize or get the fuck out,” Margo said, crossing her arms. “You are seriously killing my high.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Penny looked around at the seven pairs of eyes looking at him expectantly. Idri was just amused. “Fuck! Sorry,” Penny said, rolling his eyes.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It’s fine,” Quentin said, still in a bit of a fog. Then, his mind still on the prior conversation, and being unable to resist knowing, he asked Penny, “Did the hat put you into Gryffindor pretty fast?” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Fuck yes. I told that hat straight up, I was going to Gryffindor. Didn't give it a chance to even think about putting me in Hufflepuff or some shit like that." </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Um, hi? Still sitting right here, Penny.” Josh waved at Penny from next to Quentin.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Something else had caught Quentin's attention, though. "What do you mean, you told the hat?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Penny looked at Quentin like he was the biggest waste of time he'd ever seen. "Like I told it I needed to go to Gryffindor. And it put me there."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Quentin physically shook his head and he set his drink down. "You can TELL THE HAT what house to put you in?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Well, Q, you can give a preference, but that doesn't mean the hat will listen to you. But yeah, you can tell it where you wanna go, if you want to." Julia was half-laughing as she explained</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Well why the fuck hadn't anyone told him that?</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>---</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Quentin! Do this one!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Margo grabbed a heavy ceramic beer stein from the shelf behind the bar, and held it above her head. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Bambi, no!” Eliot shot up from his chair, grabbing the mug from her. “Not the Hungarian ceramic.” He placed the beer stein high up on a shelf behind the bar. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You don’t even drink beer!” Margo said. “Fine, this one.” She grabbed a martini glass from the bar and slammed it to the ground. It shattered, glass flying all over the floor.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Eliot sighed. “That is the last glass you get to break,” he told her warningly.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Quentin smiled. Much like the last common house party he’d gone to, many students had left to go back to their dorms or spend what was left of their Saturday night elsewhere in the castle. Quentin, Alice, Julia, Kady, Margo, Eliot, and a few other Slytherins were left in the common room. Poppy had left earlier with a Ravenclaw; it seemed she had moved on from Quentin just fine. They had spent over an hour playing with Margo’s Deluminator - Alice had charmed it to suck up all the light in the room, and then expel it in a gorgeous starburst that twinkled above them. Eliot had proclaimed the lighting an immediate improvement. After that, and a couple of hours of discussions on magic, classes, and exactly what made Mayakovsky so bitter (the rumor was he had been brutally dumped back when he was a student and had never gotten over it), the conversation had eventually turned back to Quentin and Alice’s transfer exams. Once Quentin had told them what Professor March had requested to prove Quentin’s skill, Margo had demanded to see it for herself.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>This was the third glass she’d broken, though this one she’d put the most effort into destroying.  Quentin again focused on the shards spread across the floor, casting Repairo in his mind as he moved his wand.  The last three shots he’d had were catching up to him, though, and he started to giggle as he thought of how silly it was that he was finally here at Hogwarts, fixing broken glasses for drunk Slytherins.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The glass shards fell to the ground as his giggles overtook him, and he looked over to see Alice and Julia cracking up alongside him. Even Kady’s lips were twitching as she watched the trio try to get a hold of themselves.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Here.” A solid, warm weight slid in between him and Julia, Julia shoving Kady aside to make room. Quentin looked up, his laughter dying on his lips as he found Eliot’s face inches away from his. He swallowed, sobering up quickly as he felt Eliot wrap his larger hand around the one holding his wand.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>One of Quentin's favorite memories of becoming a wizard was the day his wand picked him. At Ilvermorny, students selected their wand shortly after being sorted. Quentin had walked up and down the hall, one wall full of small drawers, each consisting of one wand. One drawer had shot open so fast as he walked by, it had nearly hit him in the face. Inside was the wand that Quentin now held in his hand - 11 inches long, made of holly wood, with a phoenix feather core. The first time he'd held if, it had felt like reuniting with an old friend. The wood, nice and supple, had warmed against the pads of his fingers.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Now, Quentin felt like his favorite wand memory was about to get knocked out of the top spot. He swore he felt a surge of magic from his wand as Eliot’s fingers wrapped around his. He absolutely felt a surge in his groin, as his blood flow suddenly turned directly southward. Eliot had one hand on the couch behind Quentin, supporting his weight as he leaned heavily into Quentin’s side. Quentin’s head spun, his thigh pressing against Eliot’s as Eliot’s fingers directed his wand in an upward swish and flick motion. The glass shards remained motionless as Quentin stared wide-eyed at Eliot.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Eliot had been focused on Quentin’s wand and his guiding fingers, but now his eyes turned to look deep in Quentin’s brown ones.  Eliot gave a dry chuckle, and Quentin could feel his breath ghost across his lips. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“The spell won’t work without the incantation - either out loud or in your mind,” Eliot told him, his eyes playful. Quentin stared at him dumbly for a second, before he suddenly jerked his gaze to this wand, and the sight of Eliot’s fingers wrapped around his. He swallowed thickly, and then Eliot’s hand again moved his wand.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“R-Reparo,” Quentin whispered, focusing on the glass shards. Again he felt that strong surge of magic from his wand, ghosting up his fingertips and into Eliot’s, and he felt Eliot shudder next to him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The glass shards suddenly joined together, faster than any of his previous spells. Seconds later, Quentin was left with a perfectly formed martini glass on the table in front of them, and a raging erection within his robes.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Nice,” Eliot said, dropping his hand to his thigh. Quentin mourned the loss of warmth immediately, and his hand hovered awkwardly in the air, until he also laid it down on his thigh. Looking up, Quentin saw several curious eyes turned his way, and Margo’s eyes were dark as she gazed at them.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Eliot flexed the hand that had just held Quentin’s - his fingers stretching out wide and then curling into a fist. Quickly, Eliot stood up and said, “Well, I think I’m done for the night.” Without a word, he left the common room and strode through the door that led to the dorms.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Quentin sat there, staring at the door Eliot had disappeared through. What the fuck had just happened? </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’ll walk you back to your dorm,” Margo said, picking up her robes.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh, that’s not necessary-” Alice started to protest.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It’s no trouble. I’d hate for you to get caught by faculty because I kept you out too late.” Margo smiled at Alice as Julia and Kady exchanged a look.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Josh nudged Quentin.  “Come on, Coldwater. You good to walk yet?” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What? I’m - I’m fine,” he stuttered, as Josh waggled his eyebrows at him. Quentin stood on unsteady legs, adjusting his robe.</span>
</p><p><span>Julia fixed him with a solid stare. “I’ll talk to you tomorrow,” she said firmly, arching an eyebrow at him.</span> <span>Quentin sighed, his head still spinning. He suddenly felt exhausted, the drinks and emotions of the night catching up with him. Kady gave him a pitying look as she followed her girlfriend out the door. Quentin and Josh followed, as Margo and Alice took up the rear. The boys parted ways with the girls as they headed to the towers, and Quentin and Josh walked to the nearby kitchens to get to their common room.</span></p><p>
  <span>“You ok?” Josh asked as they walked, keeping an eye out for any wandering faculty or ghosts.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What?” Quentin asked. He was still replaying the past five minutes in his mind. Eliot did not like him. He did not. He thought he was a non-cute dumb Hufflepuff who wasn’t worth a minute of his time. So why did he defend him to Penny? Why had his touch sent Quentin’s body in a full state of delirium from just a few minutes of hand-holding? Why had Eliot run out of the room like his ass was on fire?</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Are you ok, dude? You look a little out of it,” Josh pressed, peering around a corner before motioning Quentin forward. They walked up to the barrels, where Josh knocked out the rhythm that got them into the common room.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah,” Quentin replied as they walked up the hall.  “I’m just tired.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Don’t let Waugh get to you. He’s been shitty to Hufflepuffs ever since he and Mike broke up.” Josh told Quentin, opening up the door leading to their dorm.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Mike?” Quentin parroted, following Josh up to their bedroom. Their voices lowered as they entered; Todd was fast asleep in his bed.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, Mike McCormick. He was a Hufflepuff and graduated last year. He and Eliot were hot and heavy a couple of years ago. Then, big break-up. Nobody really knows why. He’s been kind of a dick to all Hufflepuffs since then.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Quentin nodded, stumbling over to his bed. He took off his shoes and then sat heavily on top of the covers, still in his clothes and robe. He breathed slowly for a few minutes, waiting for his head to stop spinning. Josh left the room and returned in his pajamas while he sat there.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Quentin sucked in a breath as he rubbed his eyes. He stood up, removed his robe, gathered his pajamas, and headed to the Hufflepuff bathrooms.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The room was deserted, and a few torches lit the room. Quentin went into one of the stalls, locking the door behind him. He untucked his shirt, and sat down on the toilet, his mind whirling through the sensations of the past few hours.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Eliot smiling across the room. A sweet taste on his tongue. Eliot demanding an apology from Penny. Eliot’s warm body, pressed up against his side. Eliot’s fingers sliding over his, as magic surged through their joined hands. Eliot, Eliot, Eliot…</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Quentin’s dick was painfully hard, and he undid his belt, and pulled the zipper down his pants. Wasting no time, he pulled his cock out of his pants and boxers, immediately stroking it from tip to base.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>His touch was rough, his hands dry, and he cast a quick non-verbal lubricant charm on his hand. He returned his hand to his dick, his grip tight, closing his eyes and biting on his bottom lip to keep from groaning.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He felt Eliot’s body against his, his warm fingers caress over his own. He could feel the magic swirling through him again, his balls tightening as warmth and heaviness flowed through every limb as he rutted into his fist. Those hazel eyes, staring at him with intensity. What would it be like to have those eyes, filled with lust and longing, looking at him? What if Eliot could see him right now? Watch him jerking off in a fucking bathroom, so consumed with lust that he couldn’t even sleep until he came with Eliot’s name on his lips?</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Even as these thoughts consumed him, stoked the fire within him to burn ever hotter, another voice whispered that it was all in his head. He was the only one affected by the touch of their hands. Eliot was drunk; he had run from the room as he had remembered that Quentin was just a lowly, awkward boy that wasn’t worth his time.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>His mind whirling, Quentin stroked himself to orgasm, which took almost no time at all, come spurting all over his hand and boxers. He bit down so hard on his bottom lip he almost drew blood, and his breath finally left him in a ragged gasp as he floated back down to earth.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He grabbed some toilet paper and wiped his hands, cleaning himself up the best he could. He took off his clothes and changed into his pajamas, forgetting the underwear for tonight. He walked out of the stall and washed his hands at the sink. Then he stared at his reflection in the mirror above.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Fuck. This was going to be a problem.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>-- </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Tbc in Chapter 5 - The Trip to Hogsmeade</span>
</p><p> </p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>
  <a href="https://imgur.com/xrakw4d">Eliot’s tie</a>
</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0005"><h2>5. The Trip to Hogsmeade</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Please note the updated tags. This story will touch on depression and have mention of past suicidal thoughts. I’m always open in my DM’s to anyone that may need more info as to what’s coming to determine if you want to continue.</p><p>Please check out this amazing <a href="https://theauditty.tumblr.com/post/624005914139197440/show-chapter-archive"> fan art</a>, drawn by <a href="https://archiveofourown.org/users/theauditty">TheAuditty</a> - she is a wonderful beta for this story, and her art made me catch feelings. Give her a follow, and check out her work and her art. So amazing!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <em> Quentin </em>
</p><p>Quentin gripped his wand tightly in his hand, his eyes jammed shut. He dug deep, flooding his mind with images from his past - Alice hugging him tightly after they both got officially accepted at Hogwarts, receiving his Ilverymorny letter, Julia’s radiant smile as they lay under a table in the front room with a map of Fillory he’d drawn on the underside looking down on them, Julia’s letter about dating Penny, Julia crying to him over video chat...</p><p>He sighed, opening his eyes and dropping his arm to his side. Taking a deep breath, he extended his wand and tried again.</p><p>He remembered the first card trick he’d ever learned - it was a sleight of hand where you made your audience think you had magically changed the color of the random card they had selected. He had spent days perfecting his fan flourish and double lift, and the amazement in his Dad’s eyes when he’d revealed his card made it all worth it. Alice had demanded to know how he’d done it and even accused him of using real magic (he was nine at the time and the only ‘real magic’ he’d done was accidentally fixing a few broken toys as a toddler). His mom had smiled and applauded, while his dad asked him to do it again. He’d immediately tried, but this time he messed up the double lift, so the whole thing had been ruined and he’d wound up fleeing the room in tears...</p><p>Quentin ran a hand through his hair in frustration as he opened his eyes. He could do this. He had tons of happy memories that didn’t end in tears. His back straight, he again held up his wand and again closed his eyes.</p><p>This time he thought of when he’d found a copy of ‘The Girl Who Told Time’ tucked into a back shelf of a library in Chicago. He’d been visiting some of his mom’s family and had wandered to the children’s section (even though at the ripe old age of 14, he was supposed to be too mature for those books). He remembered how his heart had sped up as he ran his fingers over the dark spine - only the first edition hardbacks had a black cover with a lavender embossment of a tree and a clock on the front cover. His hands had been trembling as he’d taken the book off the shelf, opened the first few pages, and confirmed his suspicion that this was a first edition just sitting on a library shelf as if it wasn’t worth a few thousand dollars. He did the first thing that came to mind - he stuffed it inside his bag and prayed it didn’t have a strip inside that would set off the alarms. The feeling of giddiness he had that day as he walked out of the library flowed through him. He felt a smile form on his face as he exclaimed “Expecto Patronum!”</p><p>He opened his eyes as magic coursed through him and saw… a little white blob of mist dribble pathetically out of the tip of his wand. His face fell as Professor Mayakovsky smiled and clapped as he walked by. He lowered his wand and tried to keep the scowl off his face as the professor came to a stop in front of him.</p><p>“I hope you don’t hold your dick that tight. It’ll fall off. Or maybe it already did and that’s why your Patronus is shit.” Almost giggling, the professor walked on around the classroom.</p><p>Quentin sighed as he glanced around at his classmates. Today was another double Defense Against the Dark Arts class, and after last week’s exam that focused only on dementors and not at all on pixies, Mayakovsky was teaching the class the Patronus charm.</p><p>The Patronus charm was a spell that required the caster to focus on their happiest memories - the happier, the more effective the spell would be. A successful cast would produce a bright and luminescent energy force, forming the shape of an animal. Whatever animal the patronus took was supposed to represent the caster. Quentin had never produced more than a little white cloud of energy, so he had no idea what his Patronus was. He had often imagined a lion, a bear, or something crazy like a shark.</p><p>Or maybe a tiny little mouse that ran and hid.</p><p>The fact that he could even get white mist to dribble out of his wand was cause for celebration, really. There was a time where Quentin would never have been able to even think of anything happy, let alone channel it into magical power. The first summers back at home after he got his letter, when he was forbidden from using magic, were some of the worst in his life. Without the distraction of school, the depression would find him again, telling him it was all a mistake that he had even been invited to attend Ilverymorny in the first place. That his family preferred it when he was gone, and his presence only hindered Alice in healing from the pain of losing her loved ones. He’d walked around like a pod person, only getting out of bed to appease his parents. It had all come to a head late in the summer after his second year, when his dad had found a couple of letters he’d written to Julia, never intending to send but had forgotten to burn. The contents had upset his parents so much they all started going to family therapy, and Quentin had been started on anti-depressants. It took some time, and he’d probably be on meds for the rest of his life, and even with them the dark, intrusive thoughts were still there - but Quentin no longer felt they would defeat him.</p><p>Part of Quentin’s difficulties with Dark Arts was that many of the more advanced spells centered around extreme emotion control. Most offensive magic needed more focus and less… noise for a successful cast. Even with meds, Quentin’s mind was forever full - of worries, anxiety, and a ridiculous amount of random bullshit. Right now, in between forcing happy memories to the forefront, he was also worrying about flunking this class, finding where he’d left his copy of <em> The World in the Walls </em> (it had disappeared from his bag), if Penny was reading his mind right now (Quentin could see him glaring at him out of the corner of his eye), if he’d be able to watch the new <em> Picard </em>series anytime soon since he was going to be staying at Hogwarts for break, and if Moaning Myrtle really only stayed in the first floor girls room because he swore last weekend he heard a snicker when he left the Hufflepuff bathroom after expressing some… tension in the stall.</p><p>Quentin did have some idea why he could effortlessly charm a music box to ping out David Bowie with a flick of his wand, but sometimes casting a non-verbal Immobulus curse took him three tries. As one of Ilvermorny professors had told him when he somehow hit himself with his own jelly legs jinx - he got in his own way (that time, quite literally). He excelled when he let the magic lead, instead of trying to tell it where to go. This had never been more evident than this past summer, when faced with Mayakovsky’s test -  the professor had flown at him so quickly with jinxes and curses, he hadn’t had time to let his mind tell him he couldn’t do it.</p><p>His mouth formed a thin line as he watched a gorgeous sparrowhawk emerge from the end of Julia’s wand. The regal bird flapped her wings and circled high above the class. Many students stopped their casts to gaze up at the silver apparition as it faded away.</p><p>“Congratulations, Ms. Wicker,” Professor Mayakovsky said, his thick Russian accent turning her name into ‘Vicker.’ “You are the best at fooling yourself into thinking you are happy.”</p><p>Julia’s happy smile quickly fell off her face at the professor’s words. </p><p>Quentin looked around at his other classmates. Alice looked much like he must have a few moments ago - arm outstretched, eyes closed, though her fingers were light on her wand. Her mouth was twitching a bit and she resolutely said “Expecto Patronum!”</p><p>She opened her eyes as a white blob of white smoke blossomed out of her wand, expanding until it was a few feet wide. It floated up and away, until it disappeared.</p><p>“That, Ms. Quinn, is what we call a failure. Try again. I know, I know, you have very tragic backstory. But still there must be SOME happy memory in that blonde head of yours?” Professor Mayakovsky arched an eyebrow at Alice as she frowned back at him. He then turned and walked back towards his desk.</p><p>“That-that looked like an incorporeal patronus charm.” Alice said, twisting her wand in her hands. Quentin saw her swallow nervously - Alice usually never had reason to push back on her teachers. He felt pride swell up inside him to see her stand up for herself to Mayakovsky.</p><p>The professor swung around and arched that eyebrow again. “An incorporeal patronus charm is a shit substitute for the real thing. Do you settle for shit, Ms. Quinn? That may explain your attachment to the floppy-hair dickless wonder over there.” Mayakovsky gestured vaguely in Quentin’s direction. “Try again.”</p><p>Quentin caught Alice’s eye from across the aisle. As the professor walked away, he mimed putting a gun in his mouth and pulling the trigger. She smiled at him and set up for another attempt at the spell.</p><p>Around him, Quentin could see more shapeless blobs of energy floating around the classroom. Eliot, a few desks behind Quentin, was frowning at his wand as a few random sparks shot out of the end. Quentin watched as Eliot squared his shoulders, and then closed his eyes to try again.</p><p>After their moment in the Slytherin common room last weekend, Quentin had spent way too much of his following Sunday imagining the next time he saw Eliot. Would he give him that glorious smile and have an actual conversation? Would his eyes take on that predatory gleam he’d seen at the sorting ceremony? Would he sweep Quentin into a nearby dark classroom and have his way with him? Quentin would have been fine with any of the above.</p><p>Well, the answer was none of the above. Quentin and Eliot had not spoken since the party last week. Even if he wanted to talk to Eliot, Quentin had no chance to. In fact, this was probably the first he’d even looked at Eliot for longer than ten seconds since that night. Eliot slipped into any of their shared classes right as it was starting, and was always the first one out the door once it had ended. Quentin never saw him during lunch or dinner, in the library, or any other common areas of the castle. The most he’d seen of Eliot in several days was just his retreating back.</p><p>Quentin, himself being a world-class avoider when he needed to be, got the message, loud and clear - Eliot regretted whatever ‘moment’ they may have had and wanted nothing to do with Quentin. Ignoring the pang in his stomach that came along any time he thought about never touching Eliot again, Quentin told himself that was just fine. The amount of emotional whiplash that seemed to come with every new interaction with Eliot was giving Quentin body aches.</p><p>First he’d basically stripped Quentin with his eyes at the sorting ceremony. Then he turned his nose up at him once he was sorted. The next time he saw him outside of class, he’d made him fancy drinks and defended him to Penny. Right after that, he’d been indirectly responsible for the most intense orgasm Quentin had ever had. And now he was completely ignoring him.</p><p>That moment in the Slytherin common room was permanently etched onto Quentin’s brain. He could still feel the ghost of Eliot’s fingers upon his hand, his warm palm encircling his wrist, and then his touch guiding Quentin’s wand. The heat of Eliot’s body, pressed up against his and the whisper of Eliot’s breath on his face. He’d made more than a few late-night trips to the Hufflepuff bathrooms since that night, as if he could masturbate this crush out of his system.</p><p>And that’s what it was. Quentin had developed a heart-racing, palms-sweating, body-tingling, lip-biting, dick-hardening, unable-to-sleep hardcore fucking crush on Eliot Waugh. And he had no idea what to do about it.</p><p>Quentin pretended to be digging in his bag, but, gazing up from under his eyelashes, he watched Eliot concentrate on his casting. He wore the same house robe everyone else did, but it somehow looked more sophisticated and refined on his lanky frame. His tie today was a mint green, with silver diamonds scattered throughout in a geometric pattern. Eliot’s eyebrows furrowed, his forehead wrinkling in concentration. He pressed his lips together, and then, after letting out a soft breath—</p><p>Eliot’s eyes widened as he was accosted by a silver, graceful doe that jumped circles around him. He jerked back in surprise, and then a smile lit up Eliot’s face as the doe leapt up into the air, and zig-zagged across the room. Quentin looked over to see Margo smiling, her wand outstretched as she watched her patronus flit up and around, and then fade away.</p><p>“Ok!” Professor Mayakovsky said loudly, moving to the center of the room. “That’s two of you that haven’t led completely shit lives. For those of you that cannot cast a Patronus charm - don’t worry. You will probably never be able to. But you should keep practicing, as this charm will be a part of your N.E.W.T.’s.”</p><p>At this, several students groaned. The Patronus charm was a very high-level spell,and not one normally required in school. To have it included in their N.E.W.T.’s was a surprise.</p><p>“I’ll give you a little reminder, as I am feeling generous.”  The professor moved to the front of the classroom, and stood behind his desk. He smiled at the class, his glee seeming to grow at how unhappy the students were.</p><p>“Remember that you do not need happy memories to cast a Patronus. You can also think of happy things that may not exist. Like passing this class.” The professor looked directly at Kady as he said this, who folded her arms and stared back at him.</p><p>“You,” he said to Kady. “The girl with two last names. What is the other use of a Patronus charm besides fighting dementors?”</p><p>Kady rolled her eyes. “You can send a message with them. We literally had the test last week.”</p><p>“Did you? Hrm.” Mayakovsky frowned. Quentin let out an amazed laugh. How did this guy keep his job? He was too drunk to function. “I shall demonstrate.”</p><p>The professor removed his wand and, with a swirl, out came a beautiful, silver seal. It spun and danced in front of the professor, seemingly delighted to be let out. Quentin’s eyes widened - he’d imagined Mayakovsky’s patronus as a rat or a bat or a fucking bedbug. Not a playful, lively seal.</p><p>“Go to Headmaster Fogg. Tell him I’d like him to eat my ass.” The patronus gave another enthusiastic flip, and then flitted away.</p><p>“That’s it for today.” The professor waved his hand at the class. “Go back to your bedrooms, pull out your diaries, and remember all the happy fantasies you’ve ever had. Come back when you can use it to fuel a corporeal patronus,” he finished, giving one last glare to Alice. Then he went to his office and slammed the door.</p><p>Quentin packed up his supplies, but not without noticing Eliot jet out the door as soon as Maykovsky disappeared in his office. Sighing, he picked up his bag and walked over to Alice, who was chatting with Margo.</p><p>“Don’t worry about him. The shittier he is to you, the more he likes you.” Margo patted Alice on the arm, smiling comfortingly.</p><p>“Well, he must love me,” Quentin joked.</p><p>Margo turned to him. “No. You, he really hates. But I guess that’s not a surprise, since you pulled his wizard pants down when you took his wand away.” Quentin’s smile fell a bit. Nonplussed, Margo continued, “So, are you two going to Hogsmead tomorrow?”</p><p>“Yes!” Alice said brightly. “I’m excited to go, I’ve been so busy with schoolwork I haven’t had a chance yet.”</p><p>“Well,” Margo said. “I hope to see you there.” Margo reached out and squeezed Alice’s hand. Alice smiled and squeezed back, and then Margo left.</p><p>Quentin stared at Alice as she packed up her things. They were the only two left in the class. At Quentin’s expression, Alice said, “What?” as she picked up her bag.</p><p>“What!” Quentin said, all smiles and his eyes teasing. Alice brushed past him, and Quentin followed. Lowering his voice as they stepped into the hall, Quentin said, “What! Is going on with you and Margo?”</p><p>Alice, blushing furiously, stared straight ahead. “What's going on with you and Eliot?” she countered.</p><p>Quentin frowned. It was gonna be like that then, eh?  “Nothing,” he said flatly.</p><p>“Same with me and Margo,” Alice responded, her pace quickening.</p><p>“Bullshit,” Quentin said. They made their way through the sea of students, Quentin remaining by Alice’s side as he walked with her to Arithmancy. Quentin had Care of Magical Creatures, but he had a few minutes before he would be late.  “There was hand squeezing!”</p><p>Alice stopped and rebounded on him, Quentin almost running into her at her sudden stop. “Oh, I remember some <em> definite </em>hand squeezing on the couch in the Slytherin common room.”</p><p>Quentin felt his face grow warm, and he sputtered, “I - that - there was nothing!”</p><p>“I know you, Q,” Alice said softly. “That was not nothing.”</p><p>Quentin rolled his eyes. “You don’t know me,” he said petulantly. </p><p>Alice smiled. “I have to go to Arithmancy. Don’t be late for your class!” With a parting smile, she disappeared inside her classroom.</p><p>Quentin shook his head. This conversation wasn’t over. He walked down the hall towards the moving stairs that would take him to the hall he needed  - he was pretty sure he had them figured out.</p><p> </p><p>---</p><p> </p><p>The next day, Alice gave Quentin an amused smile as they left Honeydukes. “Honestly Quentin, twenty minutes late? By the time you figure out those stairs, it’ll be time to graduate.” Quentin shrugged his shoulders as he peered into his shopping bag.</p><p>Quentin had gone a little overboard for his first visit to the popular sweet shop, and his bag showed it. There were so many different varieties of candy here, he wanted to try them all. He’d grabbed a large selection of Every Flavour Beans, Fizzing Whizzbees, peppermint creams, a few chocolate frogs, and several of his favorite - sugar quills. Alice used to say she was shocked he didn’t get more cavities, with how many he usually went through at school.</p><p>Alice had a much smaller bag, with only a few varieties of candied bacon, treacle fudge and sugared butterfly wings. She dropped them in her purse (charmed to be bigger on the inside) before asking Quentin, “Do you want to go to the Three Broomsticks for lunch?” At Quentin’s nod, the pair made their way down the street to the popular pub.</p><p>Hogsmeade had been everything Quentin had hoped for. The only all-wizarding village in Britain, Quentin couldn’t keep the smile off his face as he took in the small shops with thatched roofs, and the witches and wizards scurrying around to finish their shopping. It was a beautiful, cold early November day. Decorations were still up from Halloween - enchanted candles hung in the trees and around the buildings, and pumpkins and hay bales were scattered in every storefront. Quentin almost wished he needed new school supplies, so he’d have an excuse to go browse at the local branch of Olivander’s, or the cauldron shoppe.</p><p>They strolled down the street, past the post office and the worn path that led to the Shrieking Shack. Quentin wanted to see the shack before they left today - they could pass by it after lunch, on their way to Scrivenshaft’s Quill Shop. Alice wanted to pick up a few more quills and ink pots. Quentin wasn’t sure why, as hardly anyone used them anymore - most wizards opted for a plain old ink pen, as it was smaller to carry around and way less of a mess. Quentin had tried to use a quill and ink when he’d first started at Ilvermorny, since it was the “classic” way that wizards had taken notes for centuries. The novelty had quickly worn off after he’d spilled his second ink pot all over his robes, and he’d stuck to pen and parchment or paper ever since.</p><p>There was quite a crowd as they stepped inside. The Three Broomsticks had a pub on the lower level, and rooms for rent upstairs. The interior was very large, but the wooden furniture and sunlight streaming in gave it a cozy feeling. The ceiling arched high above them, and a couple of large, circular chandelier fixtures with flickering lights in glass globes hung from the ceiling.  One wall was covered in antlers from several unlucky animals, and rafters and walk-ways that appeared to be accessible via various staircases hung several feet above Quentin’s head.</p><p>Quentin recognized several Hogwarts students sitting among the tables and at the bar. He gave a small wave to Todd, who was eating with a table full of Hufflepuffs. Todd vigorously waved back.</p><p>Quentin took in the packed pub. “Alice, do you want to sit at the bar? It looks like all the tables are full,” Quentin asked Alice, as his head craned around the room.</p><p>“Sure!” Alice chirped. She followed Quentin to two empty seats at the bar. Quentin ordered butterbeers for both of them, and then turned to Alice.</p><p>“I heard back from Mom and Dad. They’re fine with me staying here over break.” Alice gave Quentin a relieved smile; they had both been worried about their parents being upset at not having either of them home for the holidays.  “Dad seemed disappointed, but he understood.” Quentin was close with both his parents, but his dad was the one Quentin felt really understood him. Quentin knew that being surrounded by wizards couldn’t be easy for his muggle dad, but Ted had heartily embraced every aspect of wizarding culture thrown at him so far. His mom and Alice seemed to just accept every magical aspect of their lives - his dad was just as much in wonder of it all as Quentin was. He couldn’t wait to hear about every new spell Quentin had learned, and his favorite thing about going home was telling his dad about his experiences in wizard life.</p><p>Alice smiled at Quentin. “I know they miss us. And I’m sure Joanna is looking forward to the beach. She told me in her last letter that they had rented a beach house and had gotten passes to some of the parks over there.”</p><p>Quentin took another sip of his butterbeer, and almost choked as he thought of something. “Wait - what? They’re not going to the new Star Wars park, are they?”</p><p>Alice didn’t respond, instead taking a sip of her drink as she looked at Quentin out of the corner of her eye.</p><p>“Well dammit,” Quentin said. “I did not think this through.” He’d been dying to go to the park as soon as it was announced.</p><p>Alice laughed. “Q, you’ll have plenty of chances to go to any of the parks in the states. How many more times will you get the chance to have Hogwarts almost to yourself?”</p><p>Quentin admitted she had a point. He’d turned back to the menu to pick out his lunch when someone next to him cleared their throat.</p><p>“I’m sorry for eavesdropping,” said a deep, accented voice. “But did you say you’re from the states?”</p><p>Quentin turned in his seat to see a handsome face with a set of deep green eyes staring back at him. The man appeared to be just slightly older than Quentin, with short dark hair and a goatee. He was wearing a black cloak, as were most of the patrons in the pub, and his cheeks were a bit rosy from the cold. He was attractive in a roguish kind of way - his eyes glittered as though he had a secret, and his sly grin lent to a confident air. Quentin got the impression he was being judged just as much now as he had been by the Slytherins on sorting day (which, if the green and silver scarf wound around the man’s neck was anything to go by, that was likely). Despite that, Quentin felt his heart thump a bit harder in his chest, and his face grow warm as he searched for words. </p><p>“Uh - yes?” he replied awkwardly. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see Alice lean forward to see who he was speaking to.</p><p>“Are you the transfers from Ilvermorny?” the man asked, his British accent again tickling Quentin’s ears. He was surrounded by different variations of that accent all day every day; he didn't know why it was so distracting right now. Quentin felt a bit unnerved as the man held his gaze - it wasn’t often (ever) he was questioned by attractive strangers who knew more about him than he did about them. </p><p>At Quentin’s nod, the man’s smile grew wider as he stuck out his hand. “I’m Sebastian - Seb.  I graduated from Hogwarts last year. I’d heard a couple of students had transferred - kind of big news.”</p><p>Quentin shook Seb’s hand, a warm feeling in his belly as the man’s strong hand gripped his. Alice smiled shyly as Quentin leaned back so she could shake Seb’s hand as well.</p><p>“I’m Quentin. This is my sister, Alice,” Quentin said.</p><p>Seb leaned back on his stool, his eyes moving between the siblings.  “How are you enjoying Hogwarts so far? Everything you thought it would be? I imagine it must be quite different, coming from Ilvermorny.”</p><p>“It’s pretty great so far. Different yeah, but fun and a challenge.”</p><p>Seb smiled at him again, and Quentin felt a flutter in his belly. It must be the accent. </p><p>“So I heard you mention the Star Wars park? I got to go during the summer. It is pretty incredible. It was just opening up, so it was packed, but worth the wait.”</p><p>Quentin’s face lit up as Alice rolled her eyes. “You’ve done it now,” she told Seb. “He won’t let you go until you’ve told him everything.”</p><p>Seb smiled and the three fell into an easy conversation over lunch. Seb was pleasant and easy to talk to - he and Quentin debated the ‘Rise of Skywalker,’ (Quentin was still trying to get over Luke’s fate), and he and Alice discussed her studies into the magical properties of light.</p><p>“I would definitely look into Norway,” he told her as they finished up their lunch. “One of my classmates did his study abroad there last holiday, and he said the strength of the northern lights at that time of year were the best for harnessing samples for study.”</p><p>Alice nodded as she pushed her plate away. “That’s what I had heard - I was leaning towards that or checking out the white rainbows in northern France. One of the Beauxbatons professors is leading a group there.”</p><p>Seb nodded in agreement. “Well, it was great meeting the two of you. I’m heading down to Dervish and Banges. I need to pick up a new revealer.”</p><p>Alice tilted her head and smiled. “I used to have one of those! Quentin and I sometimes used it to send notes in class when we were younger." Any teacher would have their own Revealer to see the invisible writing on the notes the two passed (which had consisted of exam notes or Quentin's long-winded thoughts on whatever book or series he was into at the moment), but it gave them a little extra feeling of security that no other students were likely to read whatever they were writing (again, as if anyone would care about how the changes that JJ Abrams made in Star Trek: Into Darkness totally undermined the entire legacy of Khan in the original series).</p><p>"I think we’re going to Scrivenshaft’s now,” Alice continued. Quentin nodded as Alice looked to him for confirmation.</p><p>“Well, we’re going the same direction, if you’d like to walk with me.” Quentin, surprised to find he wasn’t quite ready for their time together to end, happily agreed. </p><p>As Quentin and Alice began to pull on their cloaks and scarves that they had set aside during lunch, Seb gestured towards the garments. “I realize I never officially asked - you two are in Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw? I can’t say I’m surprised to hear that you were sorted into Ravenclaw, Alice, even before meeting you today. Your parents were absolutely brilliant. I’m so sorry for your loss.”</p><p>Alice’s eyes softened in that way they did anytime her family was mentioned. “Thank you,” she said quietly.</p><p>“I take it you were Slytherin?” Quentin asked. He was pretty sure he already knew the answer, but he wanted to get the attention off Alice. No matter how many times it happened, he knew she was still shaken when her family came up unexpectedly.</p><p>Seb nodded, his fingers running over his scarf. “I remember some tension between Slytherin and Hufflepuff when I was there,” he said, his eyes kind. “I hope there has been some improvement there in the past year.”</p><p>Quentin chuckled, thinking over the past week. “I don’t know about that,” he said dryly. </p><p>Seb’s eyebrows furrowed as he frowned. “I’d hate to think of anyone making you feel unwelcome,” he said, leaning a bit into Quentin’s space. “Some students take the house system way too seriously. If you have prejudices, you can miss out on some pretty amazing people.” </p><p>Seb kept his gaze firmly on Quentin as he spoke, and Quentin felt a familiar tug in his navel and his blood rush to his cheeks. Even he, who normally had to be beat over the head to know if someone was interested, could tell that Seb was flirting with him.  Maybe this was the way through his crush on Eliot - someone else that would make him forget the tall Slytherin. Although, Quentin thought wryly, substituting one Slytherin for another may not be the best strategy. The tension in the air ratcheted up a notch, and he heard Alice clear her throat behind him. Quentin was saved from responding by a cheery voice calling Alice’s name.</p><p>“Hello!” Quentin jerked back a bit from Seb, and he and Alice turned behind them to see Margo smiling brightly at them. “Fancy seeing you two here.” Her gaze was on Alice, who perked up instantly.</p><p>Hovering behind Margo, his hand stuffed in his robe pockets, was Eliot. Quentin imagined, from the scowl on his face and the arm Margo had wrapped around his elbow, coming over hadn’t been his choice. Eliot’s eyes locked with Quentin’s, and then quickly moved away, as had been the routine all week. Quentin, quite tired of the whole thing, silently sighed.</p><p>“Hello, Margo,” Seb said, turning to fully face them.</p><p>The change in Margo’s face was instantaneous. The flirty smile fell off her face and was replaced with a snarl that Quentin wouldn’t have wished upon anyone. Quentin’s eyes moved from Margo to Seb as he realized that if Seb had graduated last year, of course they would know each other. They had been in the same house.</p><p>“You’ve got some balls,” Margo said tightly, “showing up here.”</p><p>“Is it really a shock that I’d show up in a wizarding pub on a Saturday?” Seb said, seemingly completely relaxed at Margo’s revulsion. Quentin and Alice exchanged a look, as Alice shifted uncomfortably in her seat. </p><p>“Eliot,” Seb said, shifting in Eliot’s direction. Eliot’s eyes had widened when he registered who Quentin had been speaking with, and his gaze now moved quickly from Quentin, to Seb, and back again. He finally looked to Margo and said, “Let’s go to the Hog’s Head. Selection is better there anyway.” He turned and left, leaving Quentin once again watching his retreating back.</p><p>Margo sighed, also watching Eliot leave. She turned back to Quentin and Alice and said, “Well, I have to go take care of that. Save me a drink for later?” At Alice’s nod, she turned to Seb. “And you - do everyone a favor, and fuck off.” Then, with a final glare, she disappeared after Eliot.</p><p>After a moment, Quentin said to Seb, “So… I take it you know Eliot and Margo?”</p><p>Seb gave Quentin an uneasy smile. “I used to. We don’t really have a very friendly history, as you can tell.” Quentin nodded, and let the subject drop.</p><p>The trio paid for their lunch and left the pub, Quentin’s imagination running wild as his curiosity grew. By the time they were standing outside of the quill shop, Quentin was convinced that Seb had been involved in a torrid love affair with both Margo and Eliot that had ended in a spectacular fashion, probably with a ton of fireworks in the Slytherin common room.</p><p>Quentin pointed to a bench just outside Scrivenshaft’s. "I'll wait here for you," he told Alice. The crowd had thinned out, the wind had died down, and the sun was shining, giving a warm cast to the otherwise chilly fall day. The small quill shop had a few patrons in it, and Quentin was happy to wait outside. Alice nodded and went inside, leaving Quentin alone with Seb, who smiled and sat down next to Quentin.</p><p>“Sorry to have lunch end on a sour note,” Seb said, his hands clasped loosely in his lap as he watched passersby.  “I was having a nice time,” he said, turning to face Quentin.</p><p>Quentin smiled, feeling his cheeks heat up yet again. <em> I have got to get some game </em>, he thought to himself. “I was too,” he said quietly, staring straight ahead at the passing shoppers.</p><p>“So,” Seb said, “Normally this is the part where I’d get your number. But the wizard world doesn’t make things so easy, since I know I can’t reach you that way at Hogwarts. But maybe I could owl you and see you again sometime?”</p><p>Quentin turned and stared at Seb, knowing his face must be full scarlet.  “S-sure,” he stuttered, breaking into a smile. “I do have a phone,” he chuckled. “Just.. not at Hogwarts. But yeah, you can send an owl my way.”</p><p>Quentin and Seb continued to smile at each other until it became too awkward for Quentin, and he had to look away. The silence was comfortable, until —</p><p>“Sorry, I just have to ask,” Quentin said, looking back up at Seb. “You don’t have to tell me, but… what’s the deal with you and Margo and Eliot? I don’t know them very well, but they’ve been nice to my sister.”</p><p>A knowing look flashed across Seb’s face. “To your sister?”</p><p>“Well, Margo is nice to me,” Quentin said. “Eliot…” Quentin struggled for words for a moment, “doesn’t really say much.”</p><p>“Huh,” Seb said. “Well, that’s not really the Eliot I remember. But yeah, it was kind of a thing. I don’t mind telling you. I’m sure you’ll hear some version of it soon enough.”</p><p>Seb cleared his throat, his hands tucked into his robe pockets, pulling the garment a little bit tighter around himself.  “So, you know I was in Slytherin, with Eliot and Margo. Eliot was really clever with potions - always experimenting, trying to create new recipes. Have you been to any of the common room parties in Slytherin?”</p><p>Quentin nodded. “We just went to one last week.”</p><p>“So I take it you’ve seen him in action?”</p><p>“Yeah.” Quentin nodded. “He made me the best peach gin fizz I’ve ever had. Granted, I’m pretty sure it was the only peach gin fizz I’ve ever had, but it was amazing.”</p><p>Seb chuckled. “The effort that went into transfiguring that bar was the most cooperative work I’ve ever seen from Slytherin’s. It took five of us the better part of a day to create it, and then another two days to construct wards to keep it hidden from faculty.”</p><p>“It’s not hidden now.” Quentin watched a bright leaf floating down from a nearby tree, being bandied about by the light wind blowing through the street. “It was in plain sight when we were there last week. All of the liquor was hidden, though.”</p><p>“Yeah, well, you can’t hide much from Mayakovsky. But we shouldn’t have worried so much about the bar. After he found it, not even a week later, he railed us for our crappy transfiguration skills. Then he fixed it up - made it a bit larger, added a never-empty ice tray and the bar stools. He just told us not to tell him about any liquor, since technically that could get us kicked out. It was the highlight of our parties until I graduated.”</p><p>A fond smile had formed on Seb’s face as he spoke, making him look more youthful. Now though, the smile dimmed a bit as he continued.  Quentin felt a weird twist in his gut - he wasn’t sure why, but the pleasant buzz he’d had from the ego boost of having a cute guy ask for his number had been replaced with a raw, sour feeling.</p><p>“Eliot… started going down a darker path. Seeing how far he could push the potions he created, wanting a longer high or a more drastic effect. He also started toying with some darker potions - he brewed a forgetfulness potion, and even made a polyjuice potion.”</p><p>Quentin frowned, the sour feeling in his gut spreading throughout his body. “Those are forbidden for use outside of the Ministry,” he said, his brow furrowed. “Why would he want to make those?”</p><p>Quentin had learned at school that, in the past, the wizarding population had been small enough that use of many harmful potions weren’t really regulated - that had changed in the past decade or so. These days, any wizard caught in possession of some ‘dark potions’ could face a hefty fine, or time in Azkaban if the potion or quantity was steep enough. Even some ingredients were regulated; Quentin recalled his potions professor at Ilvermorny telling them how he could only buy a small amount of Ashwinder Eggs when he created an Amortentia potion.</p><p>Quentin could still recall that class, as clear as if it happened yesterday, even though it had been a few years now. The professor crafted the strong love potion, telling the class it smelled unique to each individual. Each student had passed by, sniffing the air and some almost falling into a daze. Quentin could remember the aroma of spices, maybe cinnamon, a musky smell that resembled his father’s favorite bourbon, and a sensation of anticipation not unlike when he was about to bite into his favorite dessert. He’d questioned Alice on what she smelled - she had muttered something about coconut and wine.</p><p>Dragging himself back to the present, Quentin watched Seb as he shrugged. “A lot of wizards will pay good money for some of those dark potions.”</p><p>At this, Quentin’s frown deepened. The picture Seb was painting was very different from what he’d seen of Eliot so far. Sure, Eliot seemed snobby, impulsive, dramatic, and full of indifference - but Quentin’s gut told him he didn’t seem capable of the level of deceit Seb was describing. </p><p>Then again - how could he say he’d really seen any true side of Eliot? They’d hardly had anything that could really be called a meaningful conversation. He could tell you the exact shade of Eliot’s eyes (hazel with a few green highlights), that his cologne was the scent of spices and citrus, and his levitation charm was so strong Professor Sunderland had told him that one day he may be able to pick up the entire castle and relocate it wherever he liked. Eliot had brightened at this idea, remarking that he’d keep that in mind if the Headmaster ever got on his bad side. Thinking back on the past week, it wasn't that difficult at all to see Eliot bring capable of the things Seb was describing.</p><p>“So, what does that have to do with why he dislikes you?” Quentin asked, wanting to get to the heart of the situation before Alice returned.</p><p>“A couple of years ago, Eliot told me he needed to work late in the potions lab to finish up an assignment. He’d said Brzenzski couldn’t be in the lab while he was brewing, he had to be away from the castle for something, but I was a sixth-year prefect, so as long as I was there, he could work on the potion. He seemed really worried and told me that if he couldn’t get it right, he would flunk the assignment.”</p><p>Quentin nodded - it was Hogwarts policy that students couldn’t work in the school laboratories without a professor or a sixth or seventh year prefect to supervise. </p><p>“Well, when I got there, there was no assignment - Eliot had lied to gain access to the potions lab when Brzenzski wasn’t there. He wanted to steal a few ingredients from the professor’s personal inventory,” Seb said, his pace slowing as he talked. “He’d wanted to make a forgetfulness potion - he said he had someone willing to pay good money for it.”</p><p>“Did you report him? You can get kicked out of school for that,” Quentin said.</p><p>“I - sort of,” Seb sighed. He wasn’t meeting Quentin’s eyes, looking at the ground, the surrounding buildings, anywhere but at him.</p><p>“So, I mean - you’ve seen Eliot,” Seb continued, blushing a bit. Quentin quirked an eyebrow at Seb. “He’s very attractive... charming. He’s younger than me, but I was still a bit enamored of him. He was so… earnest about how much he needed the money. I agreed to watch out for any faculty while he broke in and got what he needed.”</p><p>Quentin couldn’t help the stab of jealousy he felt in his chest. Even after this long week of being ignored, even when he was pretty sure he knew the outcome of this story would not be a positive one for his view of Eliot, he couldn’t help but feel a little nauseous of the thought of Eliot with someone else. Quentin tried to push that aside as he focused on Seb.</p><p>“Long story short, we got caught. Well… I got caught. Fogg was coming down the hallway, and when I warned Eliot, he tossed out some kind of smoke bomb and was able to get away without Fogg seeing him. I wasn’t so lucky.” </p><p>Quentin could feel his mouth drop open as he absorbed what Seb was telling him. “He hung you out to dry? And <em> he’s </em> mad at <em> you </em>now?”</p><p>“Well, I did tell Fogg that I was doing it because Eliot asked me to. But he had a witness that said he hadn’t been in the potions lab at all that night… Margo. At that point it was my word against his, and he had a witness. I was stripped of my prefect status, and the only reason I didn’t get kicked out was because nothing was actually missing from the potions lab. I guess Eliot hadn’t had time to get whatever he was going for.”</p><p>“Why didn’t they just use a pensieve to look at your memories?” Quentin asked.</p><p>“I didn’t really press the issue,” Seb said. “They’d have had to bring one in from the ministry, since their use is regulated so heavily, and I just... didn’t want to get in any more trouble. I just kept my head down and tried to keep a low profile until graduation. I think Eliot wasn’t expecting me to tell the truth - he thought he could use his influence over me or something to get me to keep quiet. Even as fifth years, they ruled the Slytherin house. They haven’t really spoken to me since.”</p><p>Quentin sat, stunned into silence, trying to correlate this new information with the view of Eliot he had in his head. It seemed the Eliot he’d seen in the Ravenclaw common room, the arrogant, judgmental Slytherin, was the real Eliot. The one that had made him and his friends drinks,  that had touched him (quite literally) during spellcasting was a fraud.</p><p>“Wow,” he said eventually. “I’m really sorry you had to go through that.”</p><p>“It’s ok,” Seb said, his familiar grin back in place. “We all have our trials we have to get through. I graduated, and I’m working on getting a job at the Ministry. It all worked out.”</p><p>“Well, thank you for telling me,” Quentin said. At that moment, Alice stepped out of the shop, a bag in her hand.</p><p>“Hey,” Quentin said, standing up quickly. “Get everything you wanted?”</p><p>Alice nodded. “Did you want to go by that creepy shack before we go back to school?”</p><p>Seb chuckled. “Every Hogwarts student should see the Shrieking Shack! It is pretty creepy but so cool.” Nodding to Alice, he told her, “It was really lovely meeting you. I can’t wait to hear how your research goes.”  </p><p>Turning to Quentin, he placed a hand on Quentin’s shoulder and gave it a squeeze. “You’ll be hearing from me,” he told him as Quentin nodded distractedly, his thoughts scattered. Seb smiled at them both, and then headed into Dervish and Banges.</p><p>“Well,” Alice said, falling into step beside Quentin. “It sounds like you two had an interesting chat. I swear Quentin, you’re getting more attention in two months at Hogwarts than you got in six years at Ilvermorny.”</p><p>Even distracted as he was, Quentin chortled. “Thanks, Alice,” he said dryly. “It’s interesting being the new kids.”</p><p>“So. You’ll be seeing him?” Alice nudged his shoulder as they walked.</p><p>“I don’t know. He said he’d send me an owl.” Quentin shrugged, his shoulders hunched over as he trudged back up the street.</p><p>“Then why do you look like he just kicked your puppy?” Alice said, confused.</p><p>Quentin was quiet as he reflected on the past half-hour. The disappointment in his gut was palpable; while he knew he had a crush, he hadn’t really realized just how much he liked Eliot until it was confirmed how much he really, really shouldn’t like him. </p><p>Well, that stopped now. Quentin was going to stop fantasizing about Eliot’s perfect hair, his perfect hands and fingers, and his stupid perfect face, and put his energy into other places (and people) that appreciated him.</p><p>“I’m just tired,” Quentin told Alice. “Come on, tell me what you got at the shop.”</p><p>As Alice told him about the rainbow ink and new stationary she had purchased, Quentin nodded along absently. Even while he tried to focus on the fact that he was at Hogsmeade and a cute guy had just asked to see him again, he couldn’t stop the sinking feeling in his heart.</p><p> </p><p>--</p><p> </p><p>tbc in Chapter 6 - The Duel(s)</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
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  <a href="https://imgur.com/8BL1Skj">Eliot’s tie</a>
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<a name="section0006"><h2>6. The Duel(s)</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
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    <span>Quentin</span>
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  <span>Quentin smiled as he held the golden ring up to the light. The sunlight glistened off the band as he rolled it between the pads of his fingers. The metal was cool and smooth to the touch, and Quentin delicately placed it on a short metal stand sitting on the wooden surface of his desk.</span>
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  <span>Professor Sunderland, her long hair twisted up into a loose bun, crossed over to his desk and peered down at the ring. She lowered her glasses as she picked it up and brought it close to her face.</span>
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  <span>“Feels nice and solid, Quentin,” she told him. “And if I were to place it within a flame?”</span>
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  <span>Quentin gave her a confident smile, even though inside he was desperately praying the thing wouldn’t melt into a golden puddle all over his desk. “Give it a whirl.”</span>
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  <span>Quentin's smile faltered the second the professor arched a perfectly groomed eyebrow at him and pulled her wand from her robe pocket. She placed the ring back on the metal stand, took a step back, and pointed her wand right at it. She swished a perfect circle, and she had barely uttered the word “Incendio” when a hot jet of flame shot out of the tip and engulfed the ring.</span>
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  <span>Quentin held his breath as he looked closer at his project. He could feel the eyes of every student in the small class upon him and the professor as they both peered at the gold band. He let his breath out in a loud whoosh when he could see the golden script appearing on both sides of the ring.</span>
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  <span>Professor Sunderland gave him a grand smile as she picked up the ring and inspected it. “One ring to rule them all. One ring to find them. One ring to bring them all and in the darkness bind them.” Quentin had never heard a more beautiful voice read out those words, and he smiled broadly as he sat back in his chair.</span>
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  <span>“Very good job, Quentin.” The professor set the ring down on his desk. “Not the most original choice - I’ve probably seen a few hundred replicas of that ring created in class. But very few can get the inscription to appear without the band melting first. Very promising for your N.E.W.T.’s.”</span>
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  <span>The professor walked a few rows up, and Quentin couldn’t stop himself from admiring her rear end as her hips swayed provocatively. She really did enjoy wearing those tight skirts. Quentin could feel that he was still being watched, and his gaze ticked over a few feet to see a set of brown eyes glaring at him. Penny was apparently not pleased at Quentin appreciating the view. Quentin had seen Penny do plenty of ogling of his own, way more blatant than Quentin’s current lingering glance. Quentin glared right back as Penny scowled at him for another moment, and then turned back to his own project.</span>
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  <span>“Great job, Q!” Alice sat next to him, beaming happily. A little glass horse trotted cheerfully across her side of the desk - she had conjured up the little trinket for her assignment. As he watched, the figure reared up in Alice’s direction, and she smiled and patted it’s tiny glass head.</span>
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  <span>Quentin felt the relief flow through him - he’d been practicing this conjuration for the past few weeks, and he was beyond thrilled that he had pulled it off in class. He knew he’d have to do it again for his N.E.W.T., but he felt much more confident in the spell now. </span>
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  <span>“That’s pretty incredible, Alice,” he told her, gesturing to the horse on the desktop. It was now rolling around with it’s feet in the air, probably scratching it’s glass back upon the wooden surface. He and Alice both smiled at it until Quentin looked up to see Eliot watching him from a few desks away.</span>
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  <span>Quentin felt his face fall as their eyes met, his lips turning downwards into a frown as he hurriedly looked away, even as he felt his pulse quicken. Despite his best efforts, Eliot still occupied most of his thoughts - turns out just that just because you don’t want your heart to beat faster at the sight of someone, doesn’t mean it will listen. It had been a few days since Quentin had heard the truth about who Eliot was from Seb, and he’d tried his hardest to push away every thought of him.</span>
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  <span>It didn’t seem to matter, though. Quentin still found himself waking up in the middle of the night, his dick hard in his pajama bottoms as remnants of dreams where he pressed his mouth against Eliot’s lips, ran his arms up his shoulders to cradle his face as he pressed against Eliot’s heat roared through his mind. He’d taken to casting a silencing charm around his bed before he went to sleep, lest he wake up Todd or Josh with any… noises he made while he slept. He usually wound up padding lightly to the bathroom to relieve his tension so he could get some rest. Most of his dreams faded away as soon as his eyes opened, but these lingered and almost constantly played on repeat inside his head.</span>
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  <span>Eliot seemed to be looking at him a bit differently as well. Whereas the week prior, he had ignored Quentin as hard as he could, this week he seemed to openly study him. More than once, Quentin had looked up to find those hazel eyes scrutinizing him, an expression of quiet contemplation on his face as Quentin would actively try to look up, down, away, and escape his vicinity as fast as his legs would carry him. He realized he was now playing the same game Eliot had used against him barely a week before, a game that irked him completely - avoidance at all costs. But now that he knew the truth about what kind of person Eliot really was, what else was he to do?</span>
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  <span>Quentin and Alice packed up their things, Alice waving her wand and turning her little horse figure into a still statue. She carefully placed it in her bag, and the two made their way to the Great Hall for lunch, as was their usual routine when they had Transfiguration together.</span>
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  <span>At Ilvermorny, Quentin and Alice had eaten every lunch together, usually just the two of them. It was the rare occasion that they would be joined by someone else - the few times Quentin had dated someone, they would sometimes eat with them, but usually the two siblings took the time to discuss their classes, or just enjoy the comfortable silence.</span>
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  <span>Here at Hogwarts though, they were rarely alone. Julia and Kady would frequently join them, and sometimes Josh or Todd would visit with them as they ate. Margo had also sat with them a couple times as well, and she and Alice would chat about school, magic, and their pets (Margo had a black cat, and it made Quentin really uncomfortable that she referred to it only as ‘her pussy’).</span>
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  <span>Quentin had to admit that he enjoyed spending more time with others - he loved his time with Alice, but he knew that their habits were almost hermit-like at home. Maybe it was because Julia refused to leave them to their solitary ways, but Quentin was enjoying having a bit more of a social life at Hogwarts. Even if his school work was barely tolerating it.</span>
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  <span>Today, though, Alice and Quentin found themselves alone as they sat across from each other at the end of a long table. Quentin was pretty sure the Quidditch teams were involved in some kind of scrimmage or the like, and maybe Julia was watching. In any case, they’d hardly been eating five minutes when Alice took advantage of the time alone to start her nosy sister routine.</span>
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  <span>“So, how’s it going with Seb? Did he owl you?” Alice chomped on a carrot stick as she looked at Quentin expectantly.</span>
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  <span>Quentin cleared his throat. “Um, yeah, this morning actually. He wants to go to some party at a friends place on Saturday. I’m not really psyched about being around a bunch of people I don’t know, so I’m not sure...”</span>
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  <span>“Oh, Q! That’s great! He seemed really nice. Maybe you can see if he wants to get dinner first? You can say I need you back here if you don’t want to go to the actual party after.” She practically glowed as she smiled at him. Quentin smiled ruefully at how pleased she was that he was becoming a bit more social. Like she was one to talk.</span>
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  <span>“Yeah, maybe. So, I haven’t gotten to ask you… how are things with you and Margo?” Alice immediately looked down at her plate while a fierce blush overtook her cheeks.  “Must be moving along?” he prompted.</span>
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  <span>Alice let out an almost hysterical giggle before glancing up at Quentin, and then back to her plate. “Well, um - I, uh - we…” </span>
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  <span>Quentin chuckled and nodded along. “You…?”</span>
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  <span>“Uh, she - we did maybe kiss." Alice finished the sentence so quietly, Quentin had to strain forward to catch the last few words.</span>
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  <span>Quentin’s eyebrows arched up to his hairline. He wasn’t surprised, honestly he was kind of shocked that was all they had done so far. The impression he got from Margo was that she got what she wanted, and it was apparent to most anyone that she wanted Alice. To hear Alice actually confirm it though - this was definitely a new experience in their relationship. Not because Quentin didn't want to hear about Alice's relationships - there had just never been any to talk about before.</span>
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  <span>“That’s great, Alice!” As his sister continued to stare at her food, he asked cautiously, “It is great? Right?”</span>
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  <span>“Oh! No, yeah, it was great. Like… life-changing,” Alice said, yanking her head up to look at Quentin. “She’s… she’s a really good kisser.” Alice touched two fingers to her bottom lip as she looked up at Quentin. “Like, really good.”</span>
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  <span>“Ok, well, I don’t need all the details,” Quentin said, not liking the images popping up in his head. “So are you guys dating?”</span>
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  <span>Alice set down her fork and gave a frustrated huff as she tilted her head. “Well.. I don’t know? She hasn’t really asked me on a date or anything. And we’re all so busy with classes and her with Quidditch practices… She kissed me that night after the party in the Slytherin common room, on our way back to the Ravenclaw dorm. That was two weeks ago, and we’ve talked, I think we flirted some…”</span>
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  <span>“You think?” Quentin asked. “I’m pretty sure any word Margo gets out of her mouth to you is flirting.”</span>
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  <span>Alice giggled again, pushing a lock of hair behind her ear. Quentin couldn’t help from smiling. He marveled again at how… happy Alice looked. As long as Margo was responsible for that look of exhilaration on Alice’s face, Quentin would welcome her with open arms, no matter how many euphemisms she made about her… lady parts.</span>
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  <span>“So, I think she may go with me to Norway over break. Maybe then I can really talk to her - see where we stand? I don’t know, but she seems… experienced.” Alice held Quentin’s glance, a heavy weight on the last word.</span>
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  <span>Quentin, never imagining where this conversation would go when he sat down to lunch today, cleared his throat. “And that worries you because you’re not… experienced?” he said, his voice cracking a bit on the last word. This was fine. He could talk about this with his sister.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Alice smiled nervously as another crazy giggle escaped her lips. “Oh I can’t believe we’re talking about this.” She clasped her hands together under the table as she looked around them. “I mean, I’ve done stuff.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yep, I got it. Again, I don’t need details.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“With boys and girls! I just… never cared this much.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I - uh - well,” Quentin stuttered. “I’m sure if you just tell Margo that, she’ll understand. Hell, I kind of get the impression she’d probably get off on it that you’re not... experienced.” Quentin suddenly wanted to get this conversation over as quickly as possible. But, he had to ask...</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Alice, when did you have time to date? I don’t remember ever seeing you with anyone that didn’t have a few hundred pages attached to their spine.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Alice gave him an exasperated look. “Well, I don’t know if I’d really call it ‘dating’... I hung out with people. True, mainly in the library. I don’t know, I didn’t spend all my time with my nose in a book, you know. Sometimes it was in -”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Ok! Ok!” Quentin interrupted her, pushing his plate away. “I really </span>
  <em>
    <span>really </span>
  </em>
  <span>don’t need all the details.” He glanced around to see they were still mainly alone in their little section of the tables. “Alice, I’m glad you found someone you really like. Really. You deserve it. If she makes you happy, then I’m so happy for you. Just be honest and if Margo doesn’t accept that, then fuck her.” Quentin reached over and grasped Alice’s hand, giving it a squeeze.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Ok, I’ll - I’ll think about it. You know I just don’t really… get close to people.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Quentin nodded, remembering how long it took her to open up to him. “I get it, Alice. Truly I do.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Alice smiled at him and squeezed his hand back. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“And please, whatever happens… I’m always here for you. But I'm sure Julia would probably love to hear all about what a good kisser Margo is. I mean, if you </span>
  <em>
    <span>really </span>
  </em>
  <span>want to tell me, I’ll always listen. But your brother doesn’t need to know… everything.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Alice laughed again and released his hand. A moment passed, and then - “I bet you’d like to hear about how good a kisser Eliot is?” she asked, as she picked up her fork and poised it over her plate.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Quentin’s heart stopped as he looked at his sister. “Do you - do you know?” he asked in a shocked whisper.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Quentin!” she said indignantly. “Of course not. I would never do that. I really don’t think I’m his type… like at all,” she said, pointedly looking at Quentin.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Quentin let out his breath in a harsh exhale. Then, shaking his head, he suddenly picked up his fork and stared at his untouched lunch. “Why would I care about how Eliot kisses?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh, come on Q,” Alice said. “You can’t tell me you haven’t thought about Eliot. A lot. I’ve seen the way you’ve been looking at him. And the way he’s been looking at you. And you still haven’t told me what that whole spell thing in the Slytherin common room was all about.” She stabbed a piece of chicken on her plate and popped it into her mouth.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“He’s bad news, Alice,” Quentin said quietly, pushing his food around. “I talked to Seb last week - he told me that Eliot got him in a lot of trouble. That he was breaking into the potion supply, making illegal potions to sell for money… he even said Margo had helped him.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Alice frowned, and set her fork down again.  “I… I find that hard to believe,” she said after a moment. “I know I’m… biased, and I definitely can’t deny that Margo and Eliot probably use more drugs than we’re really used to… but when I look into her eyes, I see nothing but kindness staring back at me.”</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Probably a bit more than kindness</span>
  </em>
  <span>, Quentin thought. “I”m not saying Margo isn’t a good person,” he said. “From what Seb told me, Eliot was the main offender. It sounded like Margo got mixed up into things trying to protect Eliot.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Alice nodded slowly, her eyes looking off into the distance. Quentin could practically see the gears within her head turning as she considered his words. Then, with a shake of her head, she said, “No. I’m sorry Q, but I just don’t see it. I probably haven’t spoken to Eliot any more than you have, but when I have, or when I see him and Margo together, it’s always been very genuine.  I mean, yeah, he is kind of a snob and he cares way too much about his appearance - did you know all of his ties were part of one Transfiguration project? I think Fogg just gave up trying to enforce the dress code after Eliot told him he was ‘limiting his magical development.’ How wearing the same tie as everyone else can do that, I have no idea.” Alice chuckled as she rolled her eyes.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Quentin smiled wistfully at his sister. One of her best qualities was her desire to see the best in everyone, no matter how much they didn’t deserve it. Alice also didn’t realize that her experiences weren’t quite the same as Quentin’s - with her parents' reputation and belonging to a different house, people would always react at least a little bit differently with her.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Swallowing that thought, Quentin said, “Well, I just think I’ve had a different experience with him. He was kind of a dick to me after the sorting. And yeah, maybe we had a ‘moment’ or whatever in his common room. But he’s made it very clear he has no romantic interest in me. And I shouldn’t have any in him.” The words tasted bitter in his mouth, and he felt his heart grow a bit heavier.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He looked up to see Alice looking at him speculatively. Before she could open her mouth again, Quentin said, “So, tell me about Norway. You must be excited? You gonna bring me back a chunk of the northern lights as a souvenir?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Alice’s eyes lit up again, as they always did when she was able to talk about her studies. As she started talking about some contraption Professor March was going to use to harness the cosmic storms that flowed into the Earth’s magnetotail (the Earth had a tail? What?), he half-listened. Part of him was still thinking of that last soft glance Eliot had given him before he left in Transfiguration class. Mentally shaking himself, he gave his total attention to Alice, swearing (again) to not let Eliot linger any longer in his thoughts.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>--</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The next day, a few hours before supper, Quentin was standing just outside the castle entrance with Alice, Julia, and Kady.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Ok, show me one more time.” Quentin clutched his robe tighter around himself with one hand, his wand held tight in the other as Julia smiled at him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“So, it’s a slow circular motion from head to toe, as you concentrate on feeling the warmth. Then, as you say the incantation, jerk the wand quickly from top to bottom, and the charm should seal on your body for at least 30 minutes.” She demonstrated again on Alice, softly saying “Focillo,” as she moved her wand. Alice smiled as she felt the chill from the wind leave her body.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Quentin pointed his wand at himself, adding in the modification that would seal the warmth to his frame for the next half-hour. He gave a giddy smile as he felt a warm wave flow through his limbs, and he dropped his other hand from where it had been trying to hold any heat to his body.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>It was a clear fall day, and a cold wind blew across the grounds. They were supposed to be having a study session in the library, but Julia had convinced them to go outside for a walk. Quentin had been opposed; just because Julia had decided her brain was full enough for today didn’t mean others felt the same. But she’d said they could go look at the Whomping Willow and at least see the Forbidden Forest, and he’d caved pretty fast.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Julia led the group with Kady by her side. They walked past the Divination Tower, and Quentin could see Professor Woolf’s cottage in the distance. She was the Care of Magical Creatures professor, and sometimes they had classes out there when they were studying some of the larger animals. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>As they passed the Quidditch pitch and the Owlery, Quentin looked up to see the sky crowded with owls, flying in and out or just circling, stretching their wings. As he watched, two winged forms descended their way, landing on the ground next to them.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Gerald!” Quentin reached into the pouch he’d grabbed on his way out of the castle, and pulled out a few treats. He held his hand out, and Gerald hopped forward to gobble them up. Next to Gerald, Julia’s snowy owl Eleanor hooted her displeasure. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Ok, ok, I have enough for you too,” Quentin laughed. Julia stepped forward and stroked Eleanor’s soft feathers. Eleanor hopped forward and daintily picked up the offered treats from Quentin’s hand. Then she turned, opened her beautiful, large wings, and took off into the sky.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Gerald gave Quentin a look that said, ‘Sorry, but she’s kind of in charge.’ He then followed Eleanor into the sky and back into the Owlery.  </span>
  <em>
    <span>It’s ok, buddy</span>
  </em>
  <span>, Quentin thought. </span>
  <em>
    <span>I know that feeling well.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>“I guess Eleanor came back from looking for Marina?” Kady asked Julia as the group started walking again.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Julia was quiet for a moment, and then said, “Yeah. She brought back a reply.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Penny gonna get his book?” Kady asked.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Julia gave a rueful smile. “I doubt it,” she said. “Marina asked to hang out, though.” Julia looked straight ahead as they walked, but as she said that last sentence, she peered at Kady out of the corner of her eye. Quentin and Alice exchanged a look as they trailed behind the pair.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh yeah?” Kady asked, shoving her hands in her robe.  “Are you gonna go?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I don’t know,” Julia said. “I just feel bad for her. I can’t imagine how broken I would be if they tore my wand in half.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Nothing she didn’t do to herself,” Kady said. “Look, I know you guys were tight. And you’re gonna do what you’re gonna do. But don’t let her rope you into her crap. She got expelled for a reason.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Julia reached out and grasped Kady’s hand, giving it a squeeze. Their eyes met, and they exchanged a look so tender it nearly took Quentin’s breath away. It created a pang of longing in his chest - he’d never had anyone gaze at him with such affection.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>As if remembering they had an audience, Julia suddenly glanced behind her. “So, how are things with you two? Alice, I haven’t gotten to really talk to you since Margo wanted to walk you back to your dorm after that last Slytherin party.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m fine,” Alice said quietly, crossing her arms over her chest.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Julia grinned and said, “Well, I can see that. What I’m asking is, why did Margo basically threaten me if I didn’t walk Kady back to Gryffindor so she could have some alone time with you?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Alice’s eyes widened to an almost comedic level - Quentin could almost imagine her as the main character in one the anime’s he watched at home. She turned to him with a pleading look, and he shrugged his shoulders. There was no use with Julia, once she decided she wanted information, she was going to get it.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I - I don’t know what you’re talking about. She just walked me back to my dorm and said goodnight.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh, I bet she did,” Kady laughed. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Julia smiled back at the siblings. “Come on Alice, I’m just -” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>She was cut off by Alice’s exclamation of “Quentin has a date this weekend!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Julia and Kady both stopped to turn and stare at Quentin. “Alice!” Quentin groaned, a look of betrayal in his eyes.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Alice shrugged back at him, a triumphant gleam in her eyes. Oh, he would remember this.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Who do you have a date with? Where are you going? Is it a student? Is it Eliot?” The questions came just as fast and furious as Quentin knew they would.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>First addressing the question that made his heart beat quicken even as it also fanned his disappointment at the answer, he said, “No, it’s not with Eliot! It’s with someone I met at Hogsmeade last weekend. Not a student. He graduated last year.” With one last glare at Alice, he turned and stomped in the direction of the Whomping Willow.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The three girls hurried to keep up with his quick pace. “Well who is it?” Julia asked. “Come on, I must know them!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Quentin, his mouth in a thin line, refused to answer. He didn’t know why he was delaying the inevitable, but the thought of talking about his date made him feel a little like he wanted to vomit. He rounded the corner of the North Tower, the large tree coming into view. It still had leaves on it’s branches, as it was late fall, but it was much sparser than some of the pictures Quentin had seen of it in books. As he approached, he could see the branches moving up and down, as if the tree was breathing and the limbs were it’s lungs. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It’s with a Slytherin named Sebastian. Seb, I think,” Alice supplied.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh, now you’re so happy to volunteer information!” Quentin said, annoyance evident in his tone.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Kady and Julia again, stopped in their tracks and stared at Quentin. “Seb King?!” Julia exclaimed, her eyes wide.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I - I didn’t catch his last name,” Quentin said, also stopping his stride as he turned to look at the girls. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Kady had a look of surprise, and… grudging respect on her face? “Damn, Coldwater,” she said. “You don’t fuck around.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“How did you meet Seb?” Julia demanded. Her eyes were still wide, disbelief and a hint of worry in her expression. Quentin, curious, looked closer at her as he responded.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“We just ran into each other at the Three Broomsticks. We had lunch together.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You ran into each other,” Julia repeated back. “You had lunch together.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yes… ?” Quentin said, not understanding Julia’s reaction. Was it really so amazing that a boy had found him cute and wanted to see him again?</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Q. Seb is bad news,” Julia said seriously. “He was a prefect, and then stole some shit and they stripped his badge. He’s lucky he didn’t get expelled.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Quentin sighed, not bothering to conceal his irritation. “I know, Julia. He told me.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“He </span>
  <em>
    <span>told </span>
  </em>
  <span>you?” Julia repeated. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yes! Now are we all done marveling at the fact that Quentin actually has a social life so we can please go look at the huge ass tree that could kick my ass?” Quentin turned and again stalked towards the willow, which had seemed to shift it’s branches their way, as if it were straining to hear their conversation.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Q. Quentin!” Julia quickly caught up to him and fell into step besides him. “Look, I don’t know exactly what happened that night, no one really does, but I’m telling you that Seb is not a nice guy. The people he hangs out with-”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Are the exact same people Marina hangs out with?” Kady interrupted Julia as she walked beside her. Alice had come up on Quentin’s other side, and wrapped a gentle hand around his elbow. As they walked, Quentin turned to look at Alice. He saw a look of apology in her eyes as she squeezed his arm.</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Sorry</span>
  </em>
  <span>, she mouthed soundlessly. Quentin, never able to stay mad at her, gave her a half-smile and shrugged. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“This is different and you know it!” Julia protested. Suddenly she stopped in her tracks, and grabbed Quentin’s arm to stop him from moving any further forward. Alice and Kady stopped beside them, as Julia said, “That’s close enough.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Quentin looked up to find they were about fifty feet or so away from the huge, knotted tree that appeared so twisted in on itself that Quentin wondered how the branches were even managing to move. The tree had to be at least 100 feet tall, with large, spindly branches that Quentin imagined were much stronger than their appearance led one to believe.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Quentin felt a smile start to form as he took in the tree, craning his neck back to see all the way to the top. Then, suddenly, the upper trunk of the tree seemed to unwind before his eyes. The branches reached towards them, almost like skeletal fingers. Alice gasped and jerked back as the few remaining leaves shook on the tree’s limbs, some of them spiraling off into the air. The entire group backed up a few more paces, but they were safe from the willow’s grasp.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Wow,” Quentin breathed, listening to the aches and groans of the tree as it flexed its branches. Then, it seemed to reach out almost desperately towards Julia, who retreated back a few more steps.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Quentin and Alice looked curiously at Julia, who gave them a wry smile.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I may have frightened it one Halloween with some… fireworks I set off nearby,” she said, a sly grin forming on her face.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Kady chuckled. “Dude, you almost burned it down. Guess the tree doesn’t forget.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Well, it all turned out fine. She lives to whomp another day.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>As they watched, the willow twirled a few of it’s branches into a semblance of a large fist. It slammed it down into the ground, and if it had eyes, Quentin knew it would have been glaring at Julia.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Julia, for her part, seemed unconcerned. At Quentin’s questioning look, she said, “What? Those roots go deep, not like it can come after me.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>At this, the tree seemed to puff out its chest as it’s trunk swelled and the branches shook in their direction. Quentin imagined it was shaking it’s fists at Julia.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, maybe we should go?” Alice said, her eyes worried as she took a few more steps back. “It seems to be getting more pissed off the longer we stand here.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Quentin took one more look at the huge, beautiful tree before turning away. “Can we go see the forest, or at least some of it? I’ve only seen the edge really, during Magical Creatures class.” He started away, hoping (fruitlessly, he knew) that Julia would let talk of Seb drop.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Sure enough, Julia whirled on him, grabbing his arm again to stop him from taking another step. Quentin turned to her, yanking his arm out of his grip. “Julia, can we please just drop it?” he asked. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Immediately Julia looked contrite. “Q, I’m sorry, I just… I don’t trust that guy.” Her wide eyes were full of concern as she looked back at Quentin. Even now, after all these years, he felt himself give a little as she gazed at him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Juls, it’s just a date,” he said. “You’re the one always after me to get out more.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, well, I meant -”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Only with people you approve of?” he huffed.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Julia, for once, seemed at a loss for words. Kady stepped in, adding, “If you can hang out with Marina, I don’t see what’s the big deal with him going out on a date with Seb. Who hasn’t gotten into some trouble on campus? Like almost burning down a priceless campus artifact?” Kady smirked at Quentin as she crossed her arms. “Plus, he’s pretty hot.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Julia frowned at Kady, as she looked between her and Quentin. She seemed to sense she was in a losing battle. Not willing to give up, though, she said, “Well, what about Eliot?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Quentin rolled his eyes,nearly throwing his hands up in frustration. No one was going to let him just move on. “What </span>
  <em>
    <span>about </span>
  </em>
  <span>Eliot?” he asked. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see Alice slightly shake her head at Julia.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Julia either didn’t notice or didn’t care, and she barreled ahead. “Well, I mean - you guys were pretty close at the party last week.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Quentin sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose between two fingers. “That was nothing!” he said wearily. “Just a tiny blip of nothingness on the radar of Eliot Waugh’s life.” Looking into Julia’s face, he told her, “Look, yes, Eliot is very… nice-looking.” Ignoring her rolling her eyes, he continued, “But he’s not interested. He’s made that very clear. And if some cute guy that binged the Mandalorian in a day wants to go out with me, well, it would be just dumb to say no, right?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Julia’s face softened as she searched his face. She huffed out a breath as she looked at Kady, whose ever-present smirk seemed to grow wider. “I’m sorry, Q,” she said. “I just don’t want you to get hurt.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It’s just one date,” Alice said. “You know Q! He’s got a good head on his shoulders.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Julia smiled at her. “About mending charms and transfiguration spells, maybe. Not really about cute boys. Or girls,” she added, winking at him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The tension in the air lifted, and Quentin smiled back at Julia. “Now can we please go and at least look into the forest? Maybe we can see a Centaur!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The group started walking back towards Professor Woolfe’s hut, with Julia leading the way. “We probably won’t see anything besides a few rabbits. You have to go really deep to see anything good.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Like a unicorn?” Alice asked hopefully.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Kady laughed. “Do you ever think about anything besides magic and horses?” she asked.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yes! Sometimes I think about cats. And a unicorn isn’t really classified as a horse, it’s a magical creature.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Quentin smiled at his friends as Alice schooled them on the classification of unicorns, the Whomping Willow’s branches still waving in their direction.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>--</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>On Friday, Quentin stood in Defense Against the Dark Arts, taking in the changes Professor Mayakovsky had made to the classroom. All of the desks were shoved up against the wall, and a slightly raised platform stretched the length of the room.  Quentin felt his stomach tighten as he realized what the room was set up for.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Welcome, students!” Professor Mayakovsky was particularly jovial that day, which just sunk Quentin’s spirits even further. “Today is the day we start to test if you’ve actually learned anything in all your years of schooling. Today, we duel!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>A few of the students lit up as excited whispers started to fill the classroom. Margo, in particular, actually clapped her hands together as she bounced on the balls of her feet. Even Julia had an excited smile on her face. Eliot had his forever beautiful look of indifference on his face, but Quentin thought he swallowed nervously at the professor’s words.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Quentin immediately felt a bit queasy as his breakfast threatened to come back up. He’d never dueled before - it was only during supervised training sessions in class he’d attempt to throw any offensive spells at an actual person. His disarming spell against Mayakovsky was the first one that had actually landed, and he was kind of hoping to go out on top with that victory.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I - I thought we did that at the end of term?” Alice stuttered, gripping her wand tightly with both hands.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The professor looked down at her, his smile broadening. “We </span>
  <em>
    <span>will </span>
  </em>
  <span>do them at end of term. Again. Today, we find out just how far you have to go. And hopefully not kill each other in the process. I cannot control what spells you cast, but really it would be a lot of paperwork if anyone had to go to the infirmary, so no spells with intent to harm - harmless jinxes, disarming, and counter spells only.” Mayakovsky gave a full-fledged smile at Alice as he strode to the front of the class. Quentin sighed as he thought that these must be the moments the professor uses to generate his patronus.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“To start,” Mayakovsky said, “You and you.” He pointed to Poppy and Todd, whose eyes both widened at being selected to go first.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“M - me?” Todd asked, pointing to himself. Poppy was already stepping onto the dueling platform, her wand in her hand.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yes, you. Curly haired boy who smiles so much your patronus should be flying out of your asshole. Get up on the platform.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>A rare frown on his face, Todd slowly walked up and onto the platform, on the opposite side of Poppy. His wand was held loosely in his hand as he faced Poppy. He had barely taken his position when -</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Levicorpus!” Poppy yelled, her wand swirling and stabbing the air in front of her. Todd was suddenly upended, his ankles up in the air as his hands flailed about. His robe fell down over his head, and he jerked and twisted as he tried to right himself.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Expelliarmus!” Poppy commanded, and Todd’s wand, loosely held in one hand, was yanked out of his grip and into Poppy’s waiting hand. She smiled as she closed her fingers around it, and her fellow Slytherins laughed and cheered.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Quentin hurried over to Todd, and with a quick “Liberacorpus,” Todd fell to the ground in a heap. Todd gave Quentin a nod in thanks, as Mayakovsky smiled. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I like the enthusiasm,” the professor said, “but while I think it is bullshit, the only way I am allowed to teach you to duel is if we follow proper etiquette. And that means both parties must be ready for the duel to begin.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Poppy rolled her eyes as she gave Todd back his wand. Todd took it, still frowning, and looked to the professor for further instruction.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“To begin proper duel, both of you must meet in the middle, wand in hand. Then bow or curtsy to the other.” Mayakovsky gestured to the two students on the platform. Todd gave a deep bow in Poppy’s direction. Poppy bent her knees in some fashion of a curtsy.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Now, turn around and walk to your end of the platform.” Mayakovsky stared at the two students. Poppy and Todd blinked at each other, and then slowly turned away and walked to each end of the platform. Todd kept glancing back behind him at Poppy’s retreating form. Once they had reached their ends, they turned and faced each other.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“When I tell you to begin - and no sooner,” he said, giving Poppy a look, “you may begin casting spells at your opponent.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Do you have to disarm them for the duel to end?” asked Penny, his eyes bright. He had been one of the eager students when Mayakovsky announced today’s lesson.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“The duel will end when I say it ends,” Mayakovsky responded. “Or when someone yields, or someone has to go to the medical ward.” The professor gave a weighty look to the class. Then - “Wands at the ready!” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Todd looked anxiously at the professor. “Can - can I yield now?” he asked. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>The professor rolled his eyes. “No. Grow a fucking pair of balls. You have no hope of passing without them."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Poppy immediately set herself into a defensive posture, feet planted wide, her wand thrust out in front of her. She glared at Todd who, his eyes wide, attempted to mimic her gesture, pointing his wand at her and setting his feet in a similar stance.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Mayakovsky rolled his eyes, and counted down, “One… two… three!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>At three, Poppy called out “Incarcerous!” as she swirled her wand. Her intent had been to wind ropes around Todd’s body from head to toe… but she had mispronounced the incantation, along with moving her wand in the wrong direction, and all that sprang from her wand were a few little wisps of thread. Todd, who had remained almost frozen in his stance, suddenly realized his opportunity, and yelled “Rictusempra!” as he swirled his wand.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>A silver bolt of energy blasted out of his wand, and before Poppy could even attempt to counter, she was bowled over in giggles. In a matter of seconds she was laughing so hard tears were falling down her face as she attempted to stand. Professor Mayakovsky sighed, and cast the counter spell on Poppy. Her laughter ceased, and she gasped for breath as she wiped the tears from her eyes.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Congratulations on being taken down by a tickling charm,” he told Poppy, who crawled off the platform. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Todd quickly walked over, placing a hand on Poppy’s shoulder. “Are you ok?” he asked worriedly. He held out a hand to her.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Poppy looked up at him, and accepted his hand in helping her stand up. “Yeah, I’m fine,” she muttered as she stepped to the back of the crowd that was surrounding the platform. Todd nodded, and then walked back to stand near Quentin.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Glad I got that over with,” he muttered to Quentin, as Mayakovsky selected two more students to duel.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Quentin gave a tight smile and patted Todd on the back. “You did great,” he said, trying not to panic as a blonde Ravenclaw quickly disarmed her Gryffindor opponent. Who would he have to duel? His eyes ran over the classroom as he contemplated his opponents… this class was one of the larger ones, there were at least 30 students present. Julia would easily beat him, but at least she’d be nice about it. Kady, Penny, Margo, Eliot… Quentin refused to even entertain that thought. His eyes fell on Alice, and his stomach twisted. No way Mayakovsky would make him duel his own sister? He watched the professor’s eyes light up as two students tried and failed to cast a jelly-legs jinx on each other, resulting in both of them sending themselves flying backwards to the edge of the platform. Quentin grimly realized he should prepare himself for any possibility.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Most of the students used the normal range of non-harmful dueling spells - disarming your opponent, laughing jinxes, body binds, and the jelly legs jinx. The majority of the duels were over in just a few minutes, but Maykovsky did end a couple when they went on too long with neither party making a clean hit. Quentin saw a few spells he’d never heard thought of using in a duel - one Hufflepuff transfigured her opponents shoes into roller skates, and quickly disarmed them as they fell flat on their butt.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Julia was called up to duel against a Gryffindor. She quickly jinxed and disarmed her opponent, casting a shield charm that reflected the dancing jinx that was sent her way. It ricocheted off into the classroom, and a short Gryffindor started dancing a jig as the spell hit her. Mayakovsky waved Julia off the platform and then pointed to Alice.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You,” he said as Alice gulped and walked to the platform. As she passed Quentin, he gave her arm a gentle squeeze and she met his eyes. He could see the nervousness within, and he hoped the encouraging smile he gave her soothed her some. As she stepped up, Mayakovsky pointed to the other side of the room and said, “And you.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Alice looked in the direction he was pointing, and her face drained of all color. Stepping up to the platform, a neutral expression on her face, was Margo.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Quentin could see Alice’s hand shaking a bit, and he damned Mayakovsy in his head. The professor had a small grin on his face as he nodded to the two students. Margo smiled and nodded reassuringly at Alice. Quentin could see the confident gleam in her eye - he was pretty sure Margo thought she would win easily. Quentin knew Alice could handle herself, though - while she hated being on display in front of everyone, her focus was razor sharp when it needed to be.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Alice made a small curtsy to Margo. Margo watched, and then gave a deep bow to Alice. A few titters sounded through the class, and Margo sent a glare in the direction they came from. Her head held high, she turned and walked to her end of the platform. Alice did the same.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Alice,” Quentin whispered urgently as she came to stop near him. She peered down at him as she took a defensive stance.  “Just focus,” he told her. “It’s just another test in class. If you have trouble, remember Brad.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Alice stared at him for a moment, and then settled her gaze on Margo, a new determined gleam in her eyes.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Back in third year, which was already a particularly rough year for him, Quentin had spent half a term terrorized by Brad, a Wampus student who took a liking to picking on him. They’d had a few classes together, and Brad seemed to decide that Quentin was the weakest link (which, in retrospect, with his awkward words and puppy-dog demeanor, he probably was). He made fun of his stutter, his quiet incantations that produced weak results before he learned how to focus his power through his wand, his notebooks that had Jyn Orso and Cassian Andor on the cover, and his Jurassic World socks. This had gone on for a few months, until eventually Quentin spent almost all of his time holed up in his common room. It had all come to a head one day outside of the castle, when Alice had asked Quentin to go with her to a nearby cave. It had a supply of dittany, and their potions professor had offered extra credit to anyone that brought some in for the school’s supply.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>They had run into Brad and his two cronies, Derek and Kyle. Brad had his wand out, and was threatening to turn Quentin into a ferret when he was suddenly blasted off his feet and into a nearby flower grove. Quentin had turned to see Alice, her wand in her outstretched hand, fire in her eyes. In the blink of an eye, she quickly conjured a snake straight out of her wand, which lurched in the direction of Derek and Kyle. The two boys had jumped backwards, their eyes wide.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Leave him alone,” she told them, her wand still pointing at the trio. The boys had looked at each other and scampered away as fast as their legs could carry them. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Quentin had been half-worried they would try to retaliate, but they hadn’t bothered him again. Brad had wound up leaving school after flunking all of his O.W.L.’s. That was the first and only time he’d ever seen Alice turn her wand on anyone outside of a classroom exercise, and he was still in awe of how she had effortlessly cast spells above her grade level.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Wands ready!” Mayakovsky crowed. Quentin could feel the tension in the air as the two girls looked at each other. While Alice did settle her feet wide in a defensive stance, Margo remained light on her feet, bouncing from one foot to another as she pointed her wand at Alice.</span>
</p><p>
  <span> “One.. two… three!”  At his command, both girls began casting. A jolt of blue energy shot out of Margo’s wand towards Alice as she yelled “Immobulus!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Alice was already diagonally carving the air with her wand, and the freezing spell was absorbed by her shield. The air was still for a moment as both girls looked at each other, wands still held aloft. Then, moving faster than Quentin had ever seen, Alice arched her wand behind and above her head, and a large snake flew out of her wand, hissing and spitting at Margo.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Margo arched an eyebrow as she put one hand on her hip. “Please. I’m in Slytherin. Do you think a snake is gonna scare-”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She was interrupted by her wand shooting out of her hand and into Alice’s open palm. The snake disappeared in a puff of smoke as Alice banished it. Quentin smiled as he looked up as his sister, standing victorious on the platform with a wand in each hand. She had beaten Margo without saying a word.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>It was the fastest duel yet, and certainly the only one where a student didn’t do any verbal casting - even Julia had used the verbal command for the disarming spell. Several students burst into applause, and Mayakovsky had a surprised look of respect on his face as he nodded approvingly. Alice looked down at Quentin and beamed as she took in the students celebrating her victory (or maybe celebrating Margo’s defeat, it was hard to tell).</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Her smile faded though, as she looked up at Margo. The look of rage upon Margo’s face was beyond even what Quentin had seen on the Quidditch pitch - her eyes, dark and hard, drilled into Alice as she stomped up to her and yanked her wand out of Alice’s hand. She lingered though, just a second as her eyes dipped down to Alice’s mouth. Then, she jerked and turned away from Alice.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Alice’s face fell immediately, and as Margo whirled away from her, she reached out and said her name softly. Margo stalked off the platform, and the few students that were still applauding stopped immediately. Margo went to stand next to Eliot, who had a frown on his face as he put a comforting arm around his friend. Margo shrugged it off, holding her head high as she stared ahead, her arms crossed in front of her chest.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Alice climbed off the platform as Mayakovsky called Kady and Penny for the next duel. She appeared almost near tears as she came to stand next to Quentin. “I think I really upset her,” Alice said, her eyes downcast. Quentin rubbed her shoulder comfortingly as Penny and Kady walked to each side of the platform.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It’s just a class duel,” he told her. “She’ll get over it.” Trying to get her to smile, he dropped his hand and nudged her shoulder with his. “You did so great, Alice,” he whispered, as Penny and Kady hurled spells back and forth. “You’re gonna ace your N.E.W.T. for sure.” Alice didn’t seem comforted as she wrapped her arms around herself and looked to the ground.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>A few shouts around the room tore his attention away from Alice. Penny had fired a completely harmful fireball curse at Kady. She easily froze it in mid-air and rebounded with a full-body bind. Quentin couldn’t stop the broad smile from forming on his face as Penny toppled over backwards, his body straight as a stick. At the last second, the professor conjured a large pillow for Penny to land on, lest he hit his head and perhaps knock some of the dipshit out of him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Kady was arguing loudly with Mayakovsky as Penny lay on the platform, his eyes moving back and forth as he struggled against his magical bindings. “He could have killed me with that! He should be expelled!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Mayakovsky dismissed her, waving a hand in her direction. “Eh, you are fine. He has so little power he could not set a match on fire.” The professor pointed at Quentin - “You,” he said, indicating it was his turn to duel.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The butterflies that had been forming in Quentin’s stomach suddenly doubled in number as he looked towards the platform - where Penny was still resting. “Aren’t you going to release him?” he asked the professor.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Mayakovsky rolled his eyes, and with a quick flick of his wand, Penny’s body relaxed and the conjured pillow he’d been laying on vanished. “What the fuck, Kady!” he yelled, jumping to his feet.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh, fuck you Penny!” she snarled back. “You’re lucky you’re still standing, after trying to throw a fucking fireball at me.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“All right,” Mayakovsky said. “You’re all fucking idiots. But you,” he said, pointing at Penny, “Are the bigger idiot. Now shut up and sit down.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Kady looked around at the students watching, and then back to Penny. She gave him one final glare, and walked to the back of the crowd of students. Penny stalked to the opposite side of the room.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Mayakovsky turned back to Quentin, who was still standing in the same spot he had been before. “Now. We do not have all day,” he said flippantly. Then he turned to scan the room. Pointing near where Margo was standing, he said, “You. Unremarkable pretty boy. Your turn.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>With a sinking feeling in his chest, Quentin looked at the student stepping on to the platform.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Quentin’s opponent straightened his tie as he walked to the middle of the platform. Today’s tie looked textured - it had a black background with a kelly green stripe and paisley pattern. The fabric appeared embossed with little swirls all over it. He pushed back an errant curl that had fallen over his forehead as he locked his eyes on Quentin. Quentin saw a fierce determination in his hazel eyes, although he swore he also saw a hint of anticipation lurking as well.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Quentin stepped on the platform and took a deep breath, his wand grasped tightly between his fingers. His heart thrummed against his chest, and he swallowed hard as he stared at the remarkable face that had been haunting his dreams for the past two weeks.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He could do this. He could duel Eliot Waugh.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>--</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>tbc in Chapter 7 - The Date</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>
  <a href="https://imgur.com/dJ4Qcsd">Eliot’s tie </a>
</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0007"><h2>7. The Date</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Hope you guys enjoy the duel!</p><p>Also, if you’re nervous about this date, don’t be. I put more details in the end notes if you want the scoop before you dive in, but it’s just another speed bump on our boy's way to happiness. Eliot is still, and will forever be, firmly ingrained in Quentin’s mind.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <em> Quentin </em>
</p><p>“Q!” whispered a little voice near Quentin’s feet. He ignored it, keeping his focus straight ahead.</p><p>“Quentin!” the voice persisted. He felt a sharp tug on his pant leg.</p><p>Quentin quickly glanced down to where Alice was staring up at him, before returning his gaze back to Eliot. Both boys were standing on each side of the dueling platform, each with a wand leveled at the other.</p><p>“Little busy here, Alice,” Quentin said out of the corner of his mouth, as Mayakovsky said, “One!”</p><p>“If Frodo and Sam can make it to Mordor,” Alice said hurriedly. Quentin saw his hand wobble as he gripped his wand, and he sucked in a breath as he steeled himself.</p><p>“Two!” </p><p>Eliot’s lips formed a thin line as he stared Quentin down. Gone was his usual ambivalent expression - his eyebrows were knit together in a look of concentration, and his jaw was set as he focused so intently on Quentin it was almost distracting.</p><p>“You can take down Eliot,” Alice finished. Quentin opened his mouth to tell Alice that her metaphor, while appreciated, was a bit overkill as Mayakovsky called out -</p><p>“Three!”</p><p>At his exclamation… nothing happened. Quentin stared at Eliot as Eliot stared back at him. Even from this distance, Quentin could see the rich intensity burning in Eliot’s eyes, his frame practically vibrating with the same tension Quentin could feel in every limb. Neither made a move with their wands as they both waited for the other to cast first.</p><p>A beat passed, then another. Both boys were motionless, their wands still pointed at each other. Finally, Mayakovsky let out a groan, and said “Come -”</p><p>He was interrupted by Eliot’s yell of “Stupefy!” as a blast of energy flew out of his wand. Quentin was already moving, his quick shielding charm sending Eliot’s spell rebounding back at him. Eliot ducked, the spell dissolving as it hit the wall behind him.</p><p>After that, the duel was truly on. Quentin began quickly hurling jinxes at Eliot - he started with a jelly-finger hex in an effort to get him to drop his wand, and when Eliot blocked that he rebounded with the same stunner Eliot had tried to send his way. Quentin was almost hit with it as the spell bounced off the shield Eliot got up at the last second.</p><p>Quentin stuck to the same stunning spell and jelly-finger hex combo for a minute or so as his mind whirled through a catalogue of spells. Then they both sent a stunner towards each other at the same time, and the bursts of energy collided in the middle of the platform in a bright, almost violent display. Quentin could feel his wand practically vibrating in his hand, and a surge of warm magic tingled it’s way from his hand throughout his entire body. As the sparks faded, Quentin could see Mayakovsky give an inquisitive look at the light show the spells had created - it was more brilliant than anything Quentin had ever seen come out of his wand, that was for sure. </p><p>Then Quentin’s gaze shifted, again meeting Eliot’s eyes. Where before there was grim determination and resignation, there was now light, amusement, and the softest heat. As they looked at each other, each boy started to smile.</p><p>The two threw spells and jinxes back and forth, neither managing to land a clean hit for a solid three minutes. Quentin was dimly aware that his entire class was watching, but his singular focus was the man in front of him. Even as he created shields and tossed random spells at Eliot (at one point he’d attempted to quickly transfigure Eliot’s uniform into Hufflepuff colors as a distraction, but he had to abandon that to set up another shield), he had to admire the raw talent flowing out of his opponent as the two danced. Eliot’s eyes were blazing, his fingers lithe and agile as his wand whirled in his hand and he shuffled around his side of the platform.</p><p>Finally Eliot landed a spell on Quentin - a langlock jinx. Quentin found his tongue stuck to the roof of his mouth as he attempted to voice the incantation for a slowing charm to get Eliot to stop setting up his shields so quickly. Momentarily struck dumb, he felt his legs fall out from under him as Eliot hit him with a jelly-legs jinx.</p><p>Quentin hit the floor hard on his ass, and Eliot gave him a wry grin as he took a few steps closer to him. Quentin knew the end was coming, and he was regretful, as this was the most fun he’d had in months. Magic coursed through his veins, he couldn’t remember the last time he’d felt so alive. As he looked up at the approaching Slytherin, Eliot’s wand trained on him, Quentin felt a connection so raw it left him breathless.</p><p>Eliot arched an eyebrow at Quentin as the two just stared at each other for a moment. Sweat beaded on both their foreheads as their breath came hard and fast.</p><p>From behind Eliot, Margo’s voice called out, “You’re here to duel, not fuck. Finish it so I can go to lunch!”</p><p>Eliot chuckled and his mouth opened. “Expel -”</p><p>His words died on his lips as his wand flew out of his hand and sailed right into Quentin’s open palm, responding to Quentin’s non-verbal disarming spell. Maybe his legs were jelly, but his hands and mind were just fine. Quentin gave him a broad smile as Eliot smirked at him.</p><p>“Another win for Slytherin,” Mayakovsky said as Quentin cast the counter spell to regain control of his legs and voice again.</p><p>“Uh, how?” Julia protested as Quentin handed Eliot back his wand. “Quentin disarmed him!”</p><p>“After he was sitting on his ass from taking two hits. The dickless badger got lucky.” Quentin, still sitting on the dueling platform, rolled his eyes. Julia frowned at the professor as he walked towards his office. “Next week we review blocking spells since most of you would be dead right now if these had been actual duels. Try to survive until class on Monday.” With that, he disappeared into his office.</p><p>Eliot extended a hand to Quentin, and Quentin allowed Eliot to help pull him to his feet. Quentin pressed his palm into Eliot’s for a few more seconds as he stared up into his face. For a moment he was transported back to the Slytherin common room - Eliot’s fingers locked around his as his body pressed against Quentin’s. A charge moved between their joined palms, and Quentin felt his heart pound against his chest. Eliot looked down at Quentin from beneath long lashes, and his eyes quickly flickered down to Quentin’s mouth, and then back up again. </p><p>“You're pretty quick when you're on your ass,” Eliot said, his voice low and teasing.</p><p>Quentin’s mouth suddenly went dry as he seemingly forgot how to speak. He may have stood there, staring dumbly into Eliot’s beautiful face clutching his hand forever if not for Julia, who thumped him on his shoulder as she appeared next to him.</p><p>“Look at you!” she squealed, nearly bouncing in place. She was practically beaming at Quentin as he turned to her, regretfully giving Eliot his hand back. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see Eliot flex his fingers into a fist, and then shake them out as he took a step back.</p><p>“Not too bad for your first duel,” Julia said. Looking to Eliot, she asked cooly, “Don’t you agree?”</p><p>Eliot, his eyes still on Quentin and a smirk on his lips, said, “He performed adequately.”</p><p>Julia rolled her eyes and turned back to Quentin. “I didn’t know you were so good at non-verbal casting,” she told him. “You’ll have to tell Seb all about tomorrow.”</p><p>Eliot’s grin immediately dropped into a frown. “Seb?” he said sharply, his eyes narrowing as he focused on Julia.</p><p>All wide eyes, Julia looked at Eliot. “Seb King?” she said innocently. “Quentin has a date with him tomorrow. Some guys know a good thing as soon as they see it,” she finished, a sharp eyebrow arched at Eliot.</p><p>“Julia!” Quentin hissed, his mouth agape. She was bold, but he’d never seen her be quite this brazen. Then again, she’d never been around anyone Quentin had dated before, a fact he was suddenly quite thankful for.</p><p>Eliot’s mouth snapped firmly shut as he looked back to Quentin, some mixture of rage and disappointment storming through his eyes. Suddenly Quentin wanted nothing more than to drag Eliot out of the classroom and promise that the only ridiculous crush he had was on him and of course he wouldn’t go on that date and could Eliot please just shove him up against the stone wall and kiss him until he forgot his own name?</p><p>Instead he just looked blankly back at Eliot, whose face relaxed into a familiar look of indifference as he casually tucked his wand back into his wand holster. Fuck, that wand holster. It had already starred in a variety of fantasies, where Eliot wore only that and a pair of his tight black trousers.</p><p>“That is true, Seb definitely does have… an eye for talent,” he drawled. “If you’re going to one of his parties, they can get pretty intense. Make sure you can handle it,” he told Quentin as he adjusted his robe around his shoulders.</p><p>Quentin frowned as a spark of anger ignited in his chest. This guy could turn Quentin from elated to enraged to aroused and back again in five seconds flat. This was exactly why he should go on a date with Seb - who was kind, funny, and basically everything Eliot wasn’t.</p><p>“Oh, I think you’ll find I can handle plenty,” Quentin said tersely, his voice low as he scowled at Eliot.</p><p>Eliot’s eyes darkened slightly as the familiar smirk started to play around the corner of his lips. Then suddenly he was yanked away from the group, one arm flailing as Margo tugged him towards the door. </p><p>“Flirt later. I want to go,” Margo said, her stride never slowing as she pulled Eliot out the classroom door. A second later, Eliot’s bag flew out the door behind them, most likely from a summoning charm.</p><p>Julia smiled happily at Quentin, completely oblivious to the emotional windstorm blowing through him. “Julia!” he said as Alice walked up to them. “You can’t just… say all of the things you want to say all of the time.”</p><p>“Why not?” Julia asked, still smiling. “It’s always worked out for me before.”</p><p>“For you… !” he sighed, walking over to his bag and slinging it over his shoulder.</p><p>“Eliot should know what he’s missing out on,” Julia told him as they made for the classroom exit. Kady joined them as they walked down the hall.</p><p>“Not bad, Coldwater,” she told him, falling into step next to Julia. “Better than I expected.”</p><p>“Thanks?” Quentin replied.</p><p>As the group walked to the Great Hall, Quentin replayed the past fifteen minutes in his mind. He'd spent the past week erecting a wall designed to stop the deluge of thoughts, fantasies, and dreams that he'd had about Eliot since that sorting day over two months ago. Granted, the wall was made of paper and one small breeze could probably have blown right through it, but it was there. Now though, it was thoroughly obliterated, strewn across the battlefield that was his heart.The tornado that was Eliot Waugh had torn through, leaving a scar the size of Hogwarts in its stead. He'd never stood a chance.</p><p>Quentin felt a shudder run through his body as he recalled the electricity that flowed through him as he and Eliot had hurled magic at each other. Quentin's nerves had fallen away as soon as Eliot had thrown the first spell, and he could still feel a few remaining spurts of adrenaline pumping through his veins. When their eyes met over their wands, even though Quentin knew Eliot was determined to win, he couldn't deny their chemistry, the tension between them that was dying to be released.</p><p>So now what? Quentin didn't think he could continue this dance between them. The music was too fast, too unpredictable, too chaotic. He needed to turn it off, or at least slow it down. He needed to talk to Eliot. A real conversation.</p><p>A soft sigh to his right caught his attention. He looked over at Alice, who was facing straight ahead as they walked, eyes darting back and forth as if she was looking for someone. He knew that slump of her shoulders - she was still upset.</p><p>“Give Margo a few days,” Quentin whispered to her as they walked down the hall. Alice sighed and turned her sad doe eyes his way. “She’ll get over it.” Alice nodded silently.</p><p>“So,” Julia said, turning and walking slowly backwards in front of the siblings. “You decide what you’re wearing tomorrow? And do NOT tell me jeans and a jumper.”</p><p>Quentin almost started as he suddenly remembered - oh yeah. He had a date tomorrow. How the hell was this his life now? He almost wished he could go back to when flunking a class was his only problem.</p><p>Almost. He would be lying if he said he wasn't enjoying the romantic drama.</p><p>At least a little bit.</p><p>--</p><p>Quentin took a few deep breaths to help clear the nausea that always came along with apparating as he looked around him. He was standing outside the Hog's Head in Hogsmeade - Seb was meeting him here for a drink before they went to whatever party Seb wanted to go to. It was chilly, the cold temperature giving the air an extra bite. He'd worn a nicer light blue button down shirt under his cloak, and a pair of pants that he swore were not this tight on him before he’d walked away from Julia that evening.</p><p>Seventh-years were allowed to leave campus outside of class hours, as long as they were back by curfew, which was midnight on weekend evenings. You had to go through a whole approval process of having a portkey assigned that would bring you back to campus at the appointed time. It was never guaranteed that you would get your portkey approved; Fogg was in charge of requests and if you were on his shit list, it was likely you’d spend every weekend within the castle walls. Quentin had no trouble though - he’d barely sent off his request when a patronus in the form of a huge, lumbering bear had bounded in, saying “Request approved!” before disappearing. This would be Quentin’s first excursion outside of Hogwarts on his own, and he was a little excited as the Head Girl escorted him to the edge of the grounds.</p><p>The fact that the Head Girl was Julia had diminished that excitement a bit. She'd handed him his portkey, a heavy little plastic figure in the shape of a moth. With a smile, she'd told him, "If you don't activate it yourself by midnight, it'll bring you back to the entrance hall automatically. Make sure you're holding it then; if it comes back without you, there are... consequences." She said 'consequences' in a deep voice reminiscent of the Headmaster.</p><p>"However," she continued, her smile teasing, "this one may have an extra hour attached to it. Use it wisely. I’ll get an alert when you return so I know you made it back safely."</p><p>Quentin smiled at her as he pocketed the key. "Thank you, but that wasn't necessary," he told her. "I'm sure I'll have no trouble being ready to go by curfew."</p><p>"Well, I hope you're not," she said. She suddenly jumped forward, almost startling him as she wrapped him in a tight hug.</p><p>"I love you, Q," she told him. "Have fun, ok?"</p><p>Quentin chuckled at her sudden burst of emotion. "I love you too, Juls. You know I'm coming back in a few hours, right?"</p><p>"I know, dork," she said, pulling away. "I just want you to have fun. You deserve it."</p><p>Quentin had stepped outside the grounds and, after a last wave, apparated to where he was now standing, outside of a rather shady looking pub.</p><p>Quentin had briefly been down to this end of the main Hogsmeade path during his last visit, but he hadn’t explored too closely. The pub sat at the end of an alleyway, the wooden sign with the words “Hog’s Head” swinging a few feet above his head. He could hear the jovial sounds of patrons drinking and talking as a warm glow shone out from the windows. Quentin tried to quell his nerves as he shuffled his feet in an effort to keep warm. He could cast a warming charm, but didn’t expect to be out here long. </p><p>The day had dragged as he both dreaded and anticipated this evening. Quentin hated dating - the act of being on his best behavior to get someone to like him, knowing that they would eventually witness the disaster that was Quentin Coldwater when he spewed word vomit about Fillory or Lord of the Rings or what the fuck ever his mind said had to come out of his mouth at that exact moment. He knew his rambling turned people off, and it was exhausting to try to constantly police it - it was way easier to just spend his evenings at home with his books.</p><p>He hadn’t been on a real date since the summer after his fifth year with Rebecca, when he’d taken her to his favorite pinball arcade in Jersey. She’d been bored out of her mind, completely unimpressed by his high score on the X-Files machine (finding that machine was a feat in itself, it was pretty rare, and he’d been amazed and elated to find it so close to home). They had only been dating for a month or so, he’d met her at the bookstore shortly after he’d returned home from Ilvermorny. Ignoring the Twilight companion in her hand as she smiled and touched his arm, he asked her to go to the Starbucks next door with him.</p><p>They’d broken up the day after that date at the arcade - she’d found someone else who was more into her and less into ‘alternative universes and magic.’ Jokes on her, magic was real! He wasn’t too disappointed, it would be pretty difficult to date a muggle anyway, and she was killing his wallet - the girl could go through 3 cold brews in one sitting. Never once did she offer to pay.</p><p>Add to it the fact that Quentin couldn’t take more than five steps without thinking of Eliot and his stupid beautiful face and gorgeous, long fingers, he knew he probably shouldn’t be on this date right now. But he had agreed to come, and as he’d told Alice, a cute, funny guy wanted to spend time with him. Maybe Seb could make him forget about Eliot. That was totally a thing that could happen.</p><p>A snapping sound rang in the air, and suddenly there was Seb, patting down his body as if he was expecting not all of his limbs to be present. Seemingly satisfied, he looked up and at Quentin, a smile breaking over his handsome face. He was even more striking than Quentin remembered - his green eyes sparkled in the soft torchlight, and his open expression instantly made Quentin feel at ease.</p><p>He grinned back, happy to feel his heart stutter a bit as Seb walked up to him. Sure, it wasn’t the explosion of butterflies that he felt when he saw Eliot… <em> ok, that stops now </em>, he told himself as Seb gave him a quick hug. This date would be over before it even started if he compared Seb to Eliot every step of the way.</p><p>“Glad you found it!” Seb said as they pulled apart and Seb reached for the door to the pub.</p><p>“Well, it would be hard to miss,” Quentin said. “I was just here last week.”</p><p>Seb grinned as Quentin walked in, the warmth of the pub enveloping him. It was a small building, much smaller than the Three Broomsticks, and definitely not as inviting. It had a dirt floor, and several tables and benches were littered throughout the room. Torches hung on the walls, giving off warmth and a stuttering light that created dancing shadows on the walls. A roaring fire on the opposite wall kept the space warm. A rickety bar lined the front of the building, and Quentin thought he saw a barkeep shoo a goat into a back room.</p><p>About half of the tables were full; Quentin had expected more of a crowd for a Saturday night. He followed Seb to a small table in a corner and took a seat. </p><p>“First time to Hog’s Head?” Sebastian asked him as he flagged down the barkeep.</p><p>“Yeah,” Quentin replied. “It’s very… full of character,” he said as Seb smirked at him.</p><p>“What it lacks in charm, it makes up for in it’s whiskey selection.” He gave Quentin a wink as a short, balding man stopped by their table.</p><p>“May I get you gentlemen anything?” he asked, in a very formal, stilted manner. He had one hand held at waist level in front of him, as if he was in a formal restaurant instead of a bar with dirt and hay on the floor. Seb asked for a Longwarden firewhiskey, a brand Quentin had never heard of. Quentin ordered a shot of the same (if Seb ordered it, it must be good, right?), but mixed with apple cider (Julia’s suggestion when he’d had a minor freak out when she told him a fruity drink would not fly at the Hog’s Head).</p><p>As the waiter left, Seb looked at Quentin, a look of appraisal upon his face. Quentin couldn’t help but squirm a bit in his seat. As friendly as Seb was, Quentin could see a calculating look in his eye, as if he were evaluating Quentin for some unbidden task that Quentin would be unable to refuse. Quentin placed his hands on the table in front of him, and then down into his lap, twining his fingers together and then pulling them apart, praying that Seb would say something before he was forced to regurgitate whatever thought his brain flung into his mouth.</p><p>Thankfully, he did, asking Quentin, “How was your week? Classes getting harder with winter finals coming?”</p><p>Quentin smiled and nodded. This he could handle. “It was pretty good. And yeah, I’m taking five classes, and going for three N.E.W.T.’s, so it’s starting to get real.”</p><p>“Really? Three. Didn’t know I was going out with a brain,” Seb joked as he leaned back in his chair. “What subjects are you going to test in?”</p><p>The conversation flowed easily after that. Quentin talked about school, how much of a dick Mayakovsky was, and a bit about his home in New Jersey. Seb told him about how Mayakovsky had forced them to duel two against one for their final, which made Quentin physically recoil in his seat.  Seb had taken and passed N.E.W.T.’s in charms and potions, and he was highly amused by Quentin’s exploding peach potion, which, for some reason beyond him, Quentin told him all about.</p><p>Two whiskeys and an hour later, Seb set down his glass and asked, “So you wanna get out of here?”</p><p>Quentin, feeling warm from within from the liquor, nodded. “Sure! Where are we headed?”</p><p>Seb grinned at him and leaned forward a bit. “A few of us share a flat not far from here. We can apparate. Well, you can side-along with me, if that’s okay. We’re having a few friends over.”</p><p>The thought of more and new people sobered Quentin up quickly. His hand quickly sank into his pocket, where he felt the small portkey. He could always port right out anytime he wanted to leave, especially if where they were going was within apparition distance.</p><p>After a polite dance of ‘I’ll pick up the tab,’ and ‘No, I invited you, allow me,’ Seb paid their bill and they stepped outside. They took a few steps away from the door when Seb suddenly turned to Quentin and said, “So, this is weird. But I brought you something.”</p><p>Quentin knew his surprise was written all over his face as Seb ducked his head, a blush across his cheeks. “It’s just something I’ve had laying around that I wasn’t doing anything with, and I just thought you’d like it.”</p><p>He reached in his robe pocket, and withdrew a small black ball. He handed it over to Quentin, who held it in his palm. It was small and lightweight - it couldn’t have been more than four inches in diameter, and as soon as it touched his hand, Quentin could feel the magic rolling off it. Quentin held it up to a nearby torch, and he immediately recognized the markings and indentations in the object.</p><p>“It’s the Death Star!” he chuckled, his grin lighting up his face as he examined it from all sides.</p><p>“There’s a few wizard trinkets you can buy at the parks, if you ask the right questions in the Muggle souvenir shops. This was one I picked up when I visited. I got so many souvenirs, I didn’t really have a place for this one. So I thought maybe you could hold onto it until you get to buy your own.”</p><p>Quentin smiled, feeling pleased but a little awkward. He hadn’t really been expecting anything like this. Seb seemed to really like him, and that wasn’t a feeling Quentin was used to.</p><p>“Here, watch,” Seb said, a dimple showing as he smiled. He pulled his wand out of his robe and as he tapped the trinket Quentin held in his hand, he said “Revelio!”</p><p>As they watched, two sections in the middle of the Death Star replica separated, and out flew a little X-Wing exactly like the one Luke flew to destroy the empire weapon in <em> A New Hope </em>. It circled the Death Star, and two little flashes of light that Quentin knew represented photon torpedoes shot out of the X-Wing and into the middle of the planet-killing machine. A dazzle of light that looked like a little explosion lit up all around the mini Death Star. Then the sparks and the X-Wing faded away, and Quentin was left again with a tiny little Death Star in his hand.</p><p>“This is so cool!” he said, delighted. Seb grinned back at him, his eyes shining. </p><p>“I’m glad you like it.” He took a step closer to Quentin. “Like I said, I didn’t really have a place for it, so, hopefully it can find one at Hogwarts with you.”</p><p>“I… thank you,” Quentin said as he took one last look at the trinket before he put it in his robe pocket. He looked up at Seb to find his face quite close to Quentin’s. He was so close, he could see gold flecks in his green eyes, and almost feel Seb’s breath on his lips.</p><p>Quentin felt his gut twist as an image of Eliot flashed in his mind, and before he could control himself, he jerked back. Seb’s face fell, and he looked down at his feet. Inwardly, Quentin berated himself. What was wrong with him? Seb had been nothing but nice to him. Maybe it was a little quick, but why did he constantly want to run away from the good things in his life and towards the bad things? </p><p>“I -” Quentin said, not even sure what to say.<br/><br/>“No, it’s fine, don’t worry about it,” Seb said. quickly “You still wanna go?”</p><p>Quentin nodded his head automatically, even though he was now having second, third, and fourth thoughts. A party, full of people he didn’t know, while on a date with a guy he’d just kind of rejected in a dark alleyway outside a somewhat-seedy pub immediately after he’d received a nice gift from him. Only an hour in, and already he’d managed to turn a nice evening into one of those awkward scenes in a movie that made him curl up into a ball from secondhand embarrassment.</p><p>Seb gave Quentin a small smile as he held out his arm. Quentin grabbed a hold of it, and a second later, he felt that familiar tug at his navel. The next moment, he was standing outside of a two-story brick building on a quiet street.</p><p>“This is me,” Seb said, pointing at the second floor. Quentin followed him into the building and up a flight of stairs. Seb stopped at a door halfway down the hallway and, turning to Quentin he said, “Come on in,” as he opened the door.</p><p>Quentin’s first impressions of the flat was that there must be several extension and enlargement charms on this building for how large the front room was. The second was that Quentin needed to find out what Seb did for a living, because he must be doing really well for himself to be able to afford a place as nice as this one. The ceilings were high, with wooden floors and elegant lighting. The furniture was definitely the nicest Quentin had ever seen, and very reminiscent of the Slytherin common room - two leather couches lined one wall, while a few matching chairs surrounded a low coffee table. A fire burned in a nearby fireplace, and a large TV was mounted to the wall above it. It was turned on and an album cover was pictured on the screen - it looked like the soft notes of music Quentin could hear were being streamed through the television. A few lamps provided low lighting, and as Quentin walked further in, he could see what looked like little fireflies floating around. The entire effect was very modern, but still cozy.</p><p>A few people were seated in the chairs, chatting and drinking quietly. The front room was attached to a kitchen that had a few more people standing near a counter, which Quentin could soon see was covered in various liquor bottles. A few heads turned his way as they walked in.</p><p>“Hey hey!” Seb said in greeting. “Everyone, this is Quentin. Quentin, this is everyone!”</p><p>Quentin gave a little wave at the group, many of whom said hi or nodded his way. Then most of them went back to their conversations. Seb motioned him over to the makeshift bar, and Quentin came to stand next to him.</p><p>“This place is awesome,” Quentin told him as he looked around the kitchen. It was full of shiny stainless steel and black countertops. </p><p>“Thanks,” Seb said. “I live here with my roommates, a couple of friends I went to Hogwarts with. It’s definitely a TARDIS - it’s charmed out the ass to give us a ton of space, as I’m sure you probably already figured out. The bathroom is down that hall, second door on the left. You can drop your cloak in the clean room - it’s the first door.”</p><p>Quentin nodded. A clean room was typically a room in a magical household where no magic took place - it usually held any computers or anything that may be more sensitive to magic. Quentin ducked in the room and found the small bedroom was the size he’d expect to see when he first looked at the building from the street. He could also almost feel the environment change as he crossed the threshold - definitely less magic here than in the rest of the flat. A couple of desks were shoved against one wall, one with a laptop set atop it. He draped his cloak over a nearby chair, making sure the portkey, his wand, and his wallet were securely in his pockets.</p><p>“So, can I make you another drink?” Seb asked as Quentin walked back into the main area. Quentin looked at all the various bottles and tried not to feel completely overwhelmed.</p><p>“Um, sure,” he said. “I’ll have whatever you’re having?” he told Seb hopefully.</p><p>Seb smiled as he poured himself a shot of some kind of bourbon. “Not much of a drinker?” he asked Quentin. “You liked that apple cider mixer you had at the pub?” At Quentin’s nod, he opened the refrigerator and pulled out a beer bottle. “You’ll probably like this - it’s a hard cider made here in town.”</p><p>He grabbed his wand and with a flick, the top popped off. Quentin gratefully took the beverage and took a swig. He wasn’t much of a beer drinker, but this wasn’t too bad.</p><p>Quentin had never been in a purely wizard home - they lived in suburban New Jersey, in a typically muggle neighborhood. Their house ran on electricity and had all of the typical electronics you’d find in most muggle homes.  He and Alice were not allowed to use magic during the summers, and his mom used it sparingly in the house. After all of the stories he’d heard about how many wizarding homes didn’t use major electronics, he was surprised to see how modern the flat was.</p><p>As if he could read his mind, Seb chuckled. “First time to a full wizard house? You said you grew up in a muggle neighborhood?” he asked.</p><p>Quentin nodded as he took another sip of his beer. “I’m just surprised. I can practically feel the magic from all of the charms here, but you guys clearly have electronics that aren’t affected.” He gestured towards the TV as he spoke.</p><p>Seb nodded, setting his drink on the counter. “The Ministry is constantly working on ways around how magic fucks with electricity. I have a friend that works on electronic wards at the ministry, and he set up a lot of this for me. The modem for the WiFi is in the clean room, and the connection to the TV is warded, as are most of the appliances in the kitchen and elsewhere around the flat.”</p><p>“Wow, I hadn’t realized you could do that,” Quentin said, thinking back to Alice’s family. This research had been the very thing that had killed her parents and brother. It was good to know that his work had been continued, and advancements were still being made.</p><p>“It’s all very new, and I guess we are kind of guinea pigs, but so far it’s been great. No having to go to the clean room or outside to check your phone or haul your computer somewhere to watch a show.”</p><p>Quentin nodded, thinking back to the laptop that had exploded in his bedroom when his mom had been casting some cleaning charms in the hallway outside. He’d learned real quick that the rule of ‘the computers stay in the clean room’ wasn’t just so his parents could keep tabs on whatever he was watching online. Which was just old episodes of <em> Star Trek: The Next Generation </em>. That’s it, that’s totally all he streamed.</p><p>“Anyway, come meet everyone.” Seb grabbed Quentin’s hand and pulled him towards the front room, where most people had gathered on the couches.</p><p>Gulping, Quentin allowed himself to be drug along.</p><p>--</p><p>Two hours later, Quentin was refraining from checking his watch as the flat grew fuller and the crowd grew noisier. The music had changed from a soft melody to throbbing techno beats, and someone had charmed a light orb to flash colorful strobing lights around the room, so it resembled more of a rave than a small house party. The chairs had been shoved out of the way, and a few party-goers were throwing spells at each other that would make them burst into a random dance from Fortnight. He watched as one girl went from flossing to the tidy dance and then into a flawless squat kick.</p><p>Quentin was nursing his third beer, which he’d lost his taste for over an hour ago. It was just something to hold on to while he wondered how long he’d have to wait until it was acceptable to leave. Seb was buzzing around the room - dancing randomly and chatting with friends. He had attempted to pull Quentin on the dance floor earlier, but at Quentin’s refusal he had given up and started moving around the room. Quentin hadn’t seen him in the past half-hour. The air was hazy with smoke - several people were vaping or smoking joints and even muggle cigarettes. Every once in a while someone would clear out the smoke and smell with a charm, but that hadn’t happened in a bit. Quentin had been offered plenty of new things to try - basic weed, potions to simulate an acid trip with no harsh comedown, every possible flavor of giggle water under the sun, and, of all things, jello shots. He’d been unable to resist the last one, grabbing a green one while Seb clapped him on the back. It tasted of green apple, and he’d found himself suddenly floating a few inches off the ground for a few minutes, until he suddenly crashed back to the couch he was now sitting on.</p><p>He felt a weight sink into the cushion next to him, and he turned to see a girl with long brown hair and bright blue eyes perched at his side. She was dressed in full black, her tight sweater and skirt complementing her tall black boots.</p><p>“Um. Hello,” Quentin said, bringing his beer bottle in front of his chest, as if it could shield him from having to talk to a pretty girl.</p><p>“Quentin Coldwater,” she purred, crossing her legs as her eyes moved over him. Again he felt that calculating air that he had come to associate with Slytherins. He could practically see a forked tongue flickering from between her lips as she smiled.</p><p>“Yep,” he replied, his eyes darting from the woman, to anywhere else, and then back to her again.</p><p>“I’m Marina. I’ve heard about you,” she told him, taking a sip of her cocktail.</p><p>The dots connected in Quentin’s head as his eyes widened slightly. “Julia’s friend,” he said as she nodded.</p><p>“I haven’t talked to her in a minute, but she was very excited that you were coming to Hogwarts. You and your brilliant sister,” she said, emphasising the last few words in a way that told Quentin she knew a lot more about him and Alice than he would expect from someone he’d just met. </p><p>“So, is Hogwarts everything you expected?” She reclined back against the couch as she looked at him expectantly.</p><p>“It’s fine. Harder than back home, but good,” he said. He combed through his memory - Marina had gotten expelled. Margo had said for going into the Forbidden Forest at night, and keeping dark supplies in her room. He sat up a bit straighter. His buzz had long since worn off, and he looked around the party, wondering where Seb was.</p><p>“Looking for your date? I’m sure he’s here somewhere. Seb does love to let his boyfriends dangle for a bit before coming back in to swoop them up.”</p><p>Quentin frowned at what Marina was implying. He suddenly realized that beyond Seb’s extensive knowledge of a galaxy far far away, he didn’t really know Seb at all, or anyone here really. He squirmed in his seat as he thought about how he could end the conversation so he could grab his cloak and head out.</p><p>Seeing the expression on his face, Marina chuckled. “Don’t worry. He likes you. He loves little geeks, especially Hufflepuffs. That guy over there, that’s Mike. He was a Hufflepuff, and Seb’s last boyfriend… I think. I don’t know. Hard to keep track.”</p><p>Quentin, having a hard time keeping up with what Marina was telling him, turned to where she had gestured. There was a handsome boy standing near the dance area, smiling at Seb, who was leaning in close and laughing. As if he felt Quentin’s eyes on him, Seb suddenly looked over and smiled. Saying something to Mike, he turned and walked their way.</p><p>He slid onto the couch next to Quentin, forcing Quentin to push closer to Marina to make room. Seb slid an arm behind Quentin on top of the couch, leaning in close. “You scaring him off, Marina?” he asked, addressing her as the side of his body crowded Quentin. Quentin was reminded of when Eliot had done the same in the Slytherin common room, but now instead of a warm heat in his belly, he felt a small ball of anxiety. Seb’s cheeks were rosy, and his eyes bloodshot. Quentin hadn’t seen exactly what Seb had been drinking or taking all night, but he could tell Seb was definitely feeling good.</p><p>“Hardly,” she said, moving back to give Quentin more room. “I was telling him how you have a hard-on for cute little dorks.” Her eyes sparkled speculatively at Quentin as a wicked grin formed on her face. “And he certainly is cute.”</p><p>Quentin felt his face heat up as the two Slytherins smiled at each other, exchanging a look as they observed him. He got the distinct impression they were having a conversation he was not privy to, and he didn’t like it.</p><p>“Don’t mind Marina,” Seb murmured in his ear, the warm heat of his breath sending tingles down Quentin’s spine. “She just likes to get to know everyone we let in the house.”</p><p>“You - you live here?” Quentin asked as Seb pressed a little more firmly against him. It was awkward, but it wasn’t… not pleasant. Besides his ‘moment’ with Eliot, it had been a long time since he’d had any real physical affection that wasn’t a hug from his sister or a friend. Even longer since he’d really kissed anyone. Quentin felt his anxiety ease a bit as he forced his body to relax.</p><p>Marina smirked at him. “Yep. Seb and I are roommates, along with Richard over there.” She pointed to a lanky, bearded man that was hovering a few feet off the ground, cutting backflips while a crowd surrounded him and counted. He made it to twenty before the charm gave out and he hit the floor. He then stumbled off in the direction of the bathroom, probably to throw up, judging by the green tinge to his face.</p><p>“Seb, can you please clear out some of the smoke. I’d do it myself, but…” she trailed off as Seb nodded, and then pulled out his wand, swirling it as he muttered an incantation. The haze in the room cleared out considerably.</p><p>Quentin tried to keep his face neutral, but he knew he failed when the smirk returned to Marina’s face. “Hard to cast spells without a wand. Hard to get a wand when a certain Headmaster made sure to get you blackballed at every supplier between here and Russia.” Her eyes narrowed as she shifted on the couch, her legs curling up under her. “Tell me, how is Fogg doing? Still fucking over his best students?”</p><p>Quentin’s shifted uncomfortably as he was at a loss for a response. Finally he said, “Um… not that I’ve seen… but I don’t really talk to him much.”</p><p>Seb’s hand patted Quentin’s knee, and then remained there. “Ok Marina, no bitter snaps tonight. Quentin came here to have fun, not to listen to you bitch all night.”</p><p>Marina snorted. “Yeah, he looks like he’s been having a great time keeping the couch warm.”</p><p>Quentin cleared his throat and stood up abruptly.  “Actually, I think I should probably get going. It’s getting late, and I have to be back by curfew.”</p><p>He didn’t miss the dark look that Seb shot Marina, who shrugged her shoulders as she sipped her drink. Seb stood up, a bit unsteadily, and he followed Quentin to the room where his cloak was.</p><p>“Hey,” Seb told him, “Don’t listen to Marina. She’s had some bad luck and is just pissy about it. I’m sorry you didn’t enjoy the party, it’s been a while since we had one and I wanted to say hi to everyone.” He looked at Quentin with such a look of remorse that Quentin melted a bit. </p><p>“Hey - no,” Quentin started. “I’m just - I’m… bad at this stuff. Parties and… social events and… anything with more people than just me, I am… not skilled.” </p><p>“Oh, I doubt that’s true,” Seb said, as a smile came back to his face. </p><p>“Trust me,” Quentin said as he reached for his cloak. “It’s true.”</p><p>He felt Seb take his hand, and as he turned he again found Seb had taken another step closer. “Well,” he told Quentin,” I think you’re amazingly charming. And very skilled. At many things, I’m sure.” </p><p>Quentin smiled, and the air in the room shifted a bit. Quentin met Seb’s eyes, and then glanced down to his lips. The low light in the room made everything a bit hazy, and Seb was looking at him with heavy lids and soft eyes, as if he was something to be savoured. Seb squeezed his hand, and it was so warm and it had been so long since anyone had looked at him that way. He allowed Seb to pull him a bit closer. After a beat, where Quentin was sure Seb was giving him a chance to jerk back again, Seb closed the distance between them and pressed his lips to Quentin’s.</p><p>It.. was ok. It wasn’t bad. It wasn’t really good. Ok, it was weird. It just didn’t feel right, this stranger’s lips pressed against his. Quentin waited for that telltale swoop in his belly, that urgent heat that had swept throughout his body when Eliot had laid just a finger on his… he waited, and it never came. The only thing he felt building within him was a sudden and urgent need to recoil and get out.</p><p>Seb reached up and cradled Quentin’s face as he attempted to deepen the kiss. Quentin gently pulled away, pressing his lips together as he looked up into Seb’s face. The two boys looked at each other, until Quentin took a step back and looked down.</p><p>“I - um,” he started.</p><p>“No worries.” Seb quickly cut him off. “It’s fine. I should’ve known better than to mess around with some sad-sack Hufflepuff who actually liked The Last Jedi.”</p><p>Quentin actually did recoil at that, his eyes narrowing as he absorbed Seb’s words and his defensive tone. What was it with British wizards and the massive mood swings? Were they all like this? The hotter they were, the more drama they dragged around with them?</p><p>“Rian Johnson had a great vision!” he said, zeroing in on what was obviously the most important thing in Seb’s statement. </p><p>“Whatever,” Seb said as he rolled his eyes. “You know the way out.” He turned and walked out of the room, leaving Quentin standing with his cloak in his hands and his head spinning.</p><p>“What the fuck,” he whispered as put on his cloak and fastened it under his neck.</p><p>Marina appeared in the doorway, and she flashed Quentin a sly grin. “Well, aren’t you full of surprises,” she told him as she entered the room. “You’ve worked Seb up into quite the tizzy.”</p><p>“Sorry?” Quentin said, thoroughly exasperated. </p><p>“Look, he’s not used to being rejected. He can be a little bitch when he’s pouting. But he’s a good guy. Don’t let his temper tantrums ruin your evening, okay?” Her blue eyes studied him as she waited for his response. Again, he felt that Slytherin calculation cut through him like a cold wind.</p><p>He just wanted to get out of the flat, back to Hogwarts, and forget this night ever happened. “Yeah. Sure.” Why did Marina care, anyway?</p><p>She gave him that same smirk he’d seen on the couch. Then, she thrust a book he hadn’t noticed she was holding against his chest. </p><p>“Give this to Penny. And tell him if he owls me again, I’ll make sure Fogg knows just how much time he’s spending in Sunderland’s office.” With that, she turned on her heel and left.</p><p>Quentin looked down at the book in his hands. <em> Fiberpunk’s Glossary of Natural Spell Design. </em> He quickly shrunk it down (clean room be damned) and dropped it in his pocket. He stepped out into the hallway, and made his way to the front door. The party still raged on - he could see Seb on the dance floor with the Hufflepuff Marina had pointed out to him earlier, Mike. No one noticed as he opened the door and left.</p><p>Quentin quickly strode down the hall and down the stairs. He flung open the door and stepped into the dark, cold night. He reached one hand in his pocket and felt the portkey, solid against his fingers, while he looked at his watch on the other - 11:30. He was still reeling from the past few minutes, and he walked down the sidewalk a few paces, wanting to take a few minutes to calm down. He wouldn’t put it past Julia to be waiting in the halls for a report on his evening.</p><p>Once his heart was beating slower against his chest, he ducked into an alley and pulled the little moth out of his pocket. He tapped his wand against it as he whispered the incantation. He felt a jerk behind his belly, and then he was stumbling into the entrance hall of Hogwarts.</p><p>He wasn’t sure if it was because of the alcohol he’d had that evening, but this port left him more nauseated than usual. He leaned a hand against the wall and bent over his knees, breathing deeply to keep from heaving. </p><p>“Have a bit too much to drink?” said an elegant voice behind him. Quentin’s eyes shot open - he’d know that smooth lilt anywhere. </p><p>Quentin straightened up, running a hand through his hair. “N-no,” he said. “Just a bad port.” He turned to face Eliot, who was leaning against the wall, his arms cross as he watched Quentin with an amused smile on his face. Quentin was irritated at the thought of having yet another set of judgmental eyes on him, even if they were as lovely as Eliot’s.  “What are you doing here?” he asked wearily.</p><p>Eliot pushed himself off the wall and took a few steps closer to Quentin. His robe was open, showing an untucked white button down and black pants. He wasn’t wearing a tie, and the first two buttons of his shirt were undone. His curls were rebellious, sticking out and some falling down over his forehead as if he’d been running his hands through them. It was the most casual Quentin had ever seen him, and just like that, all of the effort Quentin had put into calming himself down was utterly destroyed as a warm heat spread throughout his entire body. </p><p>That same heat he’d been searching for earlier in the evening. There it was. Apparently Eliot was it’s only trigger. And of course he was. Quentin never thought he’d find one thing in the world that could make him feel this undone, let alone two. </p><p>“I was leaving the kitchen when I heard you come in. Figured I’d see who actually got Fogg to approve a weekend port. They’re not exactly easy to come by.” </p><p>Quentin nodded, one hand still keeping his balance against the wall as he stared at Eliot. Suddenly all he wanted was to figure this shit out. The whirlwind of his non-stop thoughts about Eliot, his date with Seb that ended almost as soon as it started, and coming back to the castle to find that Eliot happened to be walking by just when he was returning - it had to mean something. Maybe he could suss it all out tonight. Right now.</p><p>The two looked at each other until Eliot said, “You look like you had a good time,” at the same time that Quentin asked, “Can we talk?” </p><p>Eliot’s eyes widened a bit as Quentin started talking, thoughts flowing out of his mouth before he could even think about it. “I just – I had an okay time. You were right, the party was… not so much intense as just really… dark and kind of loud and smokey and I had a jello shot that made me float, but that was actually kind of fun. And Seb was nice and we had a lot in common, until –“ </p><p>Eliot cut him off with a frown. “Ok, cool. That’s great. I’m glad you had an awesome date. I don’t really see why you’d need to talk to me about it.” His face slid into that expressionless look of ‘as if I even care do you know how many other more interesting things I could be doing right now than talking to you’ and as maddening as it was it didn’t make him any less sexy and that made him all the more infuriating. </p><p>Quentin closed his eyes. Maybe it would be easier to talk to him if he wasn’t distracted by actually looking at him. “That’s not – I –“ </p><p>“I’m guessing you were at his place, right? And Marina was there, Richard? I heard they’re all living together in blissful harmony.” Eliot’s voice was full of bitterness, and Quentin couldn’t help but open his eyes. Eliot’s hard gaze stared back at him, his arms crossed as if to protect him from Quentin’s words. “Who else was there?” </p><p>Feeling like this conversation was rapidly spinning out of control, Quentin replied back, “I – I don’t know, I didn’t really meet many people. Mike?” </p><p>If he thought Eliot’s eyes were hard before, they could have absolutely cut glass now. “Mike?” he spit out. “Fucking <em>Mike</em> was there?”</p><p> “I don’t know?” Quentin said. “I didn’t actually talk to him, Marina just said –“</p><p> “I don’t need to know. I don’t need to know anything Marina or anyone says. I’m really glad you had a good time on your date, Quentin, super thrilled. Hope the next one is just as much fun.” With that, he turned and stomped down the hall, leaving Quentin alone.</p><p>Quentin watched Eliot go. For the second time that evening, he whispered, “What the fuck?” under his breath. He sagged back against the stone wall. He still felt nauseated, but for entirely different reasons than a few minutes ago.</p><p>That’s where Julia found him a few minutes later – leaning against the stone wall in the Hogwarts entrance way. He’d crossed his arms and tilted his head back against the cold surface. He was taking a few even, deep breaths in and out, focusing on things he could see and hear like his therapist had taught him, trying to steady himself before having to face more people in his common room.</p><p>“Q!” she said as she neared him. “You know you could’ve stayed out later. I knew you’d probably be back by midnight, but…” her voice trailed off as she got closer and got a good look at him. “Quentin?” she said, concern coloring her words. “What’s wrong? What happened?” She gently touched his arm as he stood up a bit straighter.</p><p>“Julia,” he said. “Did you start dating girls because the guys here are all completely and totally fucking insane?”</p><p>--</p><p> </p><p>tbc in Chapter 8: The Room of Requirement</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Quentin has a nice time chatting with Seb at a bar, and then they go to a party where Q does his predictable wallflower routine. There is a kiss that Q is open to at first, and then realizes that it’s weird and he is not into it. Seb goes full dick and huffs off.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0008"><h2>8. The Room of Requirement</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>I realize that the Room of Requirement is not a holodeck. Some artistic license taken in that area.</p>
<p>This chapter bridges us to the second half of the story, where things really start moving. I hope you enjoy.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <em>
    <span>Quentin</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Quentin breathed a sigh of relief as he sat his pen down on his desk. He had just finished his written Charms midterm, and was officially done with schoolwork for this year. The fact that there was only around two weeks left in the year notwithstanding. He walked to the front of the class and handed his parchment to Professor March.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The professor smiled as he accepted the paper. “Ready for the holiday?” he asked Quentin, who adjusted his bag across his body.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Yes,” Quentin replied. “So ready.” The past few weeks had been the most intense of his life. When he wasn’t transfiguring rings or other random memorabilia (his latest attempt at replicating Jane Chatwin’s Fillorian crown wasn’t going so great; it kept coming out purple instead of silver), he was brewing potions (he managed a perfect fire potion that allowed him to pass through flame, although he had wound up in the medical ward after one delirious night of studying had ended with him thrusting his hand into the Hufflepuff fireplace), practicing offensive spells (his goal was to pull an Alice and win a duel without verbally casting a spell by the end of term), or charming anything within reach (he had perfectly replicated the levitation charm he’d experienced last month, although he placed it on a chocolate bar and not a jello shot). He was certain he’d passed all of his written exams easily, thanks to years of watching and learning from Alice’s fastidious studying methods. The practical exams he was less sure of, but he felt he’d performed well enough to make a good impression on his teachers (always important with N.E.W.T. 's on the horizon).</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He’d been so busy, he’d hardly had time to think about the disastrous night that had started full of promise, but ended with Quentin hurting not one, but two handsome Slytherins (a concept that still blew his mind, that somehow Quentin Coldwater could have such an effect on the feelings of two wizards from the house of cunning). He hadn’t heard from Seb at all since - which was not surprising. Quentin hadn’t attempted to reach out to him either. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>As for Eliot... well, he hadn’t thought about him at all. He hadn’t replayed the memory of Eliot walking away hundreds of times, hadn’t reminisced on him striding away on his endlessly long legs as Quentin leaned against the wall in the entrance hall of Hogwarts, feeling completely helpless and lost. He didn’t flinch at the short, terse words they exchanged in classes when they were forced to work together, each determined to look at anything but the other. And he certainly hadn’t relished the few moments when their hands had brushed against the other when reaching for the same vial in potions, or when one of them had swayed a little too close to the other when passing in the halls.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Nope. His mind was totally clear and focused on only his schoolwork.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>And on Alice. Although they hadn’t spoken of it, she appeared as miserable as he felt. The dark circles under her eyes were more pronounced, and her normal mindless chatter about school when they studied together in the library was almost nonexistent. He knew she was already under a ton of pressure, keeping up with her schoolwork and preparing for her study trip (she was leaving tomorrow), but he realized that wasn’t the only source of her stress. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He’d seen her furtive glances at Margo in Dark Arts, had watched her try to work up the courage to go talk to Margo. Quentin didn't know if she had succeeded yet; the few times he’d tried to ask her about Margo, she’d immediately changed the subject or left the conversation. He’d given up on asking about it, and just focused on trying to keep her mind off it. It was worrying - he’d finally seen a happy, content Alice, and he desperately wanted her back. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Quentin was also thoroughly miffed at Margo - was her ego really so fragile that she would throw away someone as amazing as Alice over a stupid duel? He knew she wasn't totally indifferent - he had seen the longing looks Margo would send in Alice's direction when she thought Alice wasn't looking. Sometimes he'd see Margo and Eliot whispering together, occasionally stealing a glance at him or Alice before putting their heads back together. They always seemed to be frowning and occasionally arguing. About what, Quentin would probably never know.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>After heading back to his common room and saying goodbye to a few housemates that were heading home for the holidays (and making sure he had enough ‘supplies’ from Josh to last over the break), he eventually made his way to the Ravenclaw common room- he was meeting Julia there to say goodbye before she headed home. While Julia could have had an invite to any study trip she would have wanted, Julia had been one of the rare students that attended during her sixth year. As such, she was heading home to Cardiff to see her mom and sister over the break.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Not quite ready to enter the common room by himself (despite how students seemed to come and go in whatever common room they pleased, Quentin still felt that he should adhere to the rule that you only went into another house’s common room with one of those students), he waited at the bottom of the tower that led up to the Ravenclaw door. He sat on a little brown bench along one wall, and allowed himself a moment to bask in the fact that he had almost two entire weeks of doing nothing but sleeping, eating, and wandering around Hogwarts.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>As he sat there, basking, a very familiar tall form swept by. Eliot had almost completely passed  Quentin when he noticed him, his steps faltering as their eyes met. For a few precious seconds, Quentin thought he saw his own misery reflected in those hazel eyes, which were rimmed in dark circles. Even Eliot’s hair seemed down for the count, his normally shiny and perfectly coiffed curls haphazardly pulled out of his face. Then, as quickly as it had started, the moment was over and Eliot continued on his way without another glance at Quentin.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Quentin swallowed hard, and tried to resume his basking. But instead he fell into one of his favorite activities - a melancholy recollection of all the shitty parts of his life. Staring down the hall where Eliot had disappeared, he gave himself over to the memories of the night of his first and last date with Seb.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>After finding him on the verge of a breakdown in the Hogwarts entrance hall, Julia had dragged him all the way up to the seventh floor to “find a place they could talk alone.”  It was past midnight by the time she’d stopped in a deserted part of the hallway in front of a weird-ass moving tapestry that pictured a wizard trying to maneuver around what appeared to be ballet-slipper clad trolls feet.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>“Julia, what are we doing up here?” Quentin had sighed, wanting nothing more than to just crawl under his covers and have a good cry under a silencing ward.</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>“Just be quiet for a second,” she said, pacing back and forth in the hallway. Then, she cried out “Aha!” as she darted forward towards a door across from the tapestry.</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>Quentin did a double-take as he watched her fling it open. That door hadn’t just been there… ?</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>“Ugh!” Julia groaned. “Wait here,” she told Quentin as she walked in the room. He heard the surprised exclamations of what sounded like disgruntled people. A few minutes later, two students left the room - Quentin recognized them as sixth-years, a Ravenclaw girl and a Gryffindor boy. Both were scowling and tugging on their robes as they left the room. Julia followed them out, calling after them, “That is NOT what this room is for! Twenty points from Ravenclaw! Twenty points from Gryffindor! I’ll be talking to you tomorrow, Emma!”</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>Julia closed the door and stood next to Quentin who, completely confused, watched the two students disappear down the hall. “Just give it a minute,” she told him as she crossed her arms.</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>“Give what a minute?” he asked as he looked from Julia to the door. “Where did that door come from?”</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>“It’s the Room of Requirement,” Julia said, as if that cleared up anything.</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>“Okay…” Quentin said. “And what is the Room of Requirement?”</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>Julia fixed him with an amazed look. “With as much as you’ve read about Hogwarts, you’ve never heard of the Room of Requirement?” At his head shake, she let out a laugh. “Well, you’re in for a treat.” With that, she walked to the door and opened it again.</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>Quentin walked right into… the entryway to his family home. It was as if they were entering from the front door, straight into the short hallway that led to their living room. Eyes wide, he continued down the hall, taking in the family photos on the wall, the polished wood floorboards … his fingers pressed over the pencil marks on one wall, where first he, and then he and Alice had marked their heights over the years. </span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>“Julia,” he said, his voice trembling as he turned to her. “What is this place?”</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>“This place is... whatever we need,” she said, smiling at his wonderment “If you walk by this hallway a few times, and think about what you need a room for, this room, if it wants to, will provide for that need. We needed a place to talk alone. I asked for a quiet place that would make you feel most comfortable.”</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>“It created my house?” Quentin walked up to a bookshelf in the living room - right there was the entire Fillory series - every edition that he knew sat on this very same shelf back at home. Even the mirror over the fireplace had the same smudge in the lower right corner that his mom was never able to get out, even with the strongest cleaning charms. “Hogwarts has a holodeck??”</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>He felt a tug on his hand. “Come on,”Julia said, pulling him over to the wooden table that sat in the dining area. She crawled underneath, and Quentin slowly followed. The two laid on their backs, side-by-side, gazing up at the underside of the table. There was the map of Fillory he had started, and they had both finished during one of her visits, looking back at them.</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>Quentin smiled, tearing up as he felt a warmth permeate his body. Hogwarts, the magic here… it never failed to amaze him. The room had already served its purpose, he thought, as he had completely forgotten about why Julia had even dragged him in here.</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>“So,” she said, grasping his hand as Quentin reached up with his other to trace the words ‘Northern Marsh’ he’d carefully written on the surface so many years ago. “Talk to me. What’s going on?”</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>And the whole thing had tumbled out of him. From the first comment he overheard from Eliot in the Ravenclaw tower, to their brief but heated encounter in the Slytherin common room that she had witnessed, to the constant back-and-forth of affection and then consternation from him, to his disastrous date with Seb, followed by his weak attempt to talk to Eliot that occurred just before she found him in the entrance hall. She listened attentively the entire time until he’d finished, squeezing his hand every once in a while. When he was done, they lay in silence for a few minutes. Quentin already felt that a weight had lifted off his shoulders - just the act of confiding in his friend, her presence reminding him that he wasn’t alone, soothed him, even as the hurt from Eliot’s dismissal still ached inside.</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>“I think,” she said, “that Eliot has way more issues than I realized. And if he doesn’t see what a prize he has in you, he’s an even bigger fool than I thought.”</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>“You have to say that,” Quentin said. “You’re my best friend.”</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>“That’s right,” she agreed. “You are my best friend. And that’s why I’m always straight with you. I don’t lie. And I knew, Q, from the moment that you basically yanked my Fillory book out of my hand to see how far in I had read, that you were amazingly special. And anyone that can’t see that is an idiot.”</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>Quentin was quiet, digesting her words. Then, “Thanks, Jules,” he said. </span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>"And I was totally right about Seb."</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>Quentin let out a half laugh, half groan as he looked over the map again. Julia was quiet for a few moments, then said, "Q. You can talk to me. Don't let things get so bad that I find you on the verge of a panic attack in the hallway, ok?"</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>Quentin knew she was thinking about that summer after second year, when their friendship was still shiny and new, and he had suddenly stopped responding to her letters and video calls. She'd finally written to Alice, who had told her that things were not alright. Julia had tried to hop a port over the ocean, which would have been difficult for anyone, let alone a 13-year-old. Quentin had eventually called her, and they both cried as Quentin had told her that while he wasn’t okay right now, he could maybe see a future where he would be.</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>Quentin squeezed her hand. "I know, Jules. I won't."</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>They remained for a few minutes, talking quietly before heading back. Julia gave him one final hug outside of the kitchens (she’d insisted on walking him all the way back to his common room), when he stopped her before stepping through the door.</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>“That room can be whatever you need?” he’d asked her.</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>“Yes - if it wants to be. I don’t know the ‘rules’ to the room, but once Penny and I were looking for a place to… well you know, and it wouldn’t appear.”</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>“Huh,” Quentin said. “So the room wanted those two students you kicked out to get laid… but not Penny?”</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>Julia laughed. “Well, I suppose so. Although it may have known we were on our way to interrupt them."</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>He’d gone back up to his dorm, where Todd was sleeping soundly. Josh’s bed was vacant, which wasn’t unusual, especially on a weekend. As he was quietly taking off his robe, he felt something inside one of the pockets. He reached in and pulled out the little tiny Death Star that Seb had given him, along with the book from Marina.</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>The book he returned to normal size and stuck in his bag. The Death Star… even as it lay dark and silent in his palm, still pulsed with magic. He huffed out a breath and turned it around in his hands. Then he shoved it in the drawer of his nightstand. He should throw it out, but it was a shame to just toss out something so cool.</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Quentin was drawn out of his reverie by Julia herself, who smiled at him as she approached, Kady next to her and Alice trailing behind her. She pulled her suitcase behind her, her blue and bronze scarf hung loosely around her neck. Her other hand was tucked securely into Kady’s.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>She stopped next to the bench as Quentin pulled himself up. Julia smiled brightly at him, remarking, “Wow, I get a whole send-off!” as she looked at her friends around her.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Only the best for you,” Quentin joked. The group walked towards the entrance way, where Julia (and many other students) would be escorted to the Hogwarts Express. Riding the train in had been one of Quentin’s favorite experiences, watching the English countryside blur past the windows as he and Alice had stared outside and excitedly talked about the year to come. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>As they walked, Quentin peered at Alice, hoping to see some relief in her eyes now that exams were done for the year. Indeed, she did seem a bit lighter, but he could still sense a weary sadness wrapped around her, making every step seem a little more difficult than it should have been. She turned and caught his eye, and mustered up a weak smile that he knew was only for show.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>In front of them, Julia said to Kady, “Are you sure you don’t want to come back with me? I know mom wouldn’t mind.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Kady smiled back at Julia. “I appreciate it. I just don’t know if we’re ready for two weeks straight of me and your family. Plus, I’m sure they want you to themselves since you missed last year’s holiday.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“What, you don’t want a baptism by fire courtesy of meeting the entire Wicker clan in one go?” Julia elbowed Kady softly as the two shared a soft laugh.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The walk to the entrance hall took a bit longer than usual, due to all of the students ducking back and forth, heading in the same direction they were. Not all students took the train - some had portkeys to take them directly home, some even apparated if it was an option. When they arrived at the entrance hall, before joining the throng of students waiting to make their way to the train, Julia turned to Quentin and Alice.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“You are going to have an incredible time in Norway,” Julia told Alice, hugging her. “Send me an owl and let me know how your research is going! I’m excited to see what you uncover.” She pulled back from Alice and looked into her eyes. “And good luck,” she added with a smile. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Alice smiled nervously and looked down at her feet. Julia then turned to Quentin, and wrapped him in a hug that was so tight he was momentarily concerned for his ability to breath. “You,” she said, “better send me an owl. Two or three of them. Make sure you get out of the castle at some point, don’t spend the entire break with your head in Fillory.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Quentin smiled as he pulled away from her. “Well, I promised Madame Woolfe I’d look after a few of the creatures while she’s away, so I’ll definitely be getting out of the castle at least once or twice.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Julia smiled back, and then her expression turned serious.  “Promise me one thing.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Quentin looked at her, puzzled. “Ok?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Keep an open mind. If an opportunity presents itself… take it,” she said simply.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Quentin arched an eyebrow at her. “What are you talking about?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Nothing,” she said. “Just keep it in mind.” Then she turned to Kady.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Quentin frowned, wondering when Julia decided being cryptic was a good idea, as she and Kady proceeded to have quite the public and affectionate goodbye. He and Alice stood awkwardly off to the side as Quentin wondered if he’d have to turn his wand on them to get them to separate when Professor Sunderland suddenly appeared.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“That’s quite enough, girls,” she said as Julia removed her tongue from Kady’s throat. “It’s just for two weeks, not two years.” She beckoned to Julia as she briskly walked to the front of the entranceway.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Kady rolled her eyes as Julia gave her a last peck and promised to owl, fire-call, patronus, whatever. Then she and most other students in the entryway swept out the front doors, and soon the large space was mostly empty. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Kady left to go to her common room while Quentin and Alice lingered a bit longer near the entrance way, watching the falling snow. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Are you all packed?” Quentin asked. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Alice nodded. “Pretty much. I have a few more books to pack. Professor March said the research site had most of the supplies we’d need.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Alice’s group was leaving the next morning - they would be meeting students and faculty from a few other schools on site in Norway. Quentin knew she had been looking forward to this for months, and he hoped the thrill of finally going would be enough to pull her out of her funk over Margo.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Thinking of Margo… “So who all from Hogwarts is going?” he asked.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Um, Charlie and Lauren from Ravenclaw, Hannah from Gryffindor, Christopher from Slytherin…” her voice trailed off as she looked out across the front entryway.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“That’s it from Slytherin?” he prodded quietly.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Alice bit her lip and looked down, and then at Quentin. “I don’t know if Margo is going,” she said. “When we’d last talked she was, but that was almost a month ago… Professor March said he still had some students that hadn’t committed yet. Which is kind of unreal, because this was all supposed to be locked in weeks ago.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Alice,” Quentin started. “Whether she goes or not, this is what you’ve been waiting for. Only a handful of students from the school even get to go. Don’t let Margo ruin what you’ve been waiting for all year.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Alice looked back out at the falling snow, and then nodded to Quentin. “I know,” she said quietly. ‘You’re right. I just… I’d never felt that… intensity before. That connection? Like, we hardly even know each other, but I just had this feeling… you know?” Alice’s bright blue eyes looked at Quentin, full of sadness that tugged at his heart strings. He knew that she could see the same reflected in his own brown ones.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Yeah,” he almost whispered. “I know.” Even with weeks of no real contact between them, Eliot still occupied a large part of Quentin’s mind. And, if he was being honest with himself, his heart. It was completely crazy that someone he’d spent so little time with could leave such a lasting impression on him.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The corner of Alice’s lips tilted up. “What a pair we make,” she commented. “The Americans that came to Hogwarts to get their hearts broken.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Quentin gave a small smile back to Alice. "Well I don't know about you, but that's the only reason I came here."</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He was just about to ask her if she wanted him to walk her back to her dorm when footsteps echoed down the corridor. They both turned to see Margo and Eliot walking their way.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Quentin stood up a bit straighter as they approached, the familiar butterflies inside coming to life at the sight of Eliot. Quentin noted Margo’s suitcase trailing behind her and a smaller bag slung over her arm. Eliot was also carrying a suitcase - one that exactly matched Margo’s. Quentin’s heart sunk as he realized Eliot and Margo were going home for the holiday. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Which, while he was hoping Margo would come to her senses and whisk Alice away for a holiday of magic and things he didn’t need to think about in Norway, what else was he really expecting from Eliot? Of course he’d be going home for the break - it was what the majority of Hogwarts students did.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Margo,” Alice said as they approached. “Are - are you going home for break?” she asked. Quentin frowned as he saw his sister swallow hard as she clasped her hands in front of her.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Margo stopped in front of them, while Eliot continued on for a few paces. He stopped near the front entrance, looking out into where students were still getting organized to head to the train. “Bambi, you need to go. You’re already late,” he called back to her.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Margo ignored him. “No,” she said quietly to Alice, her eyes soft. “I’m going on a study trip.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Oh,” Alice said, confusion apparent on her face. “Well, we’re leaving tomorrow -”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Not that trip,” Margo clarified. “I’m going to the Netherlands. To study ice crystals with Professor Radcliff from Durmstrang. I’m leaving now on the train and porting to Amsterdam.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Oh,” Alice said again. Quentin felt his heart break for her as he saw the resignation on her face. “Well, I hope you have safe travels and a fruitful trip. I can’t wait to hear about it in class next term.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Margo nodded at her, and then started to walk towards Eliot. Then, she suddenly let go of her suitcase, letting it thump to the ground and paced back to Alice. “Listen - “</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Margo!” Eliot turned back to them. “You need to go now. They’re about to leave for the train.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Margo threw an irritated look at Eliot, and then turned back to Alice. “I’ll owl you if I can, ok? And when I get back - maybe we can talk?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Bambi!” Eliot called again, impatience in his voice.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Alice nodded, her hands clasped together so tightly they were turning white. Margo smiled at her, and then picked up her suitcase and walked towards Eliot. As she walked away, she tossed back over her shoulder, “Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do, Coldwater.” Then she disappeared out the door behind Eliot.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Quentin turned to Alice, relief on her face. She actually looked much better than she had a few minutes before. “You ok?” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Alice nodded and smiled. “At least now I know she won’t be there with me. And she wants to talk… now I can really focus on the work.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Quentin wrapped Alice in a quick hug, and then turned her back towards the main hallways of the castle. “So tell me again, how many books are you bringing? I do think there’s a limit to how far an extension charm on your bags can go.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>--</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>After dinner the next night, Quentin waited in the Great Hall, along with a smattering of other students. He sucked on the end of a sugar quill, nibbling absently as quiet conversations went on around him. They were meeting Professor Sunderland here to discuss the rules during break. He was sitting near the front of the Hufflepuff table, and Kady sat across from him. Other students were scattered around near the front of the tables.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Quentin had seen Alice off that morning. She seemed in good spirits, chattering excitedly about capturing the energy from charged light particles and pondering if she’d have time to visit any of the local museums. Quentin could tell the smile she gave him as she hugged him goodbye was forced, but he was confident she’d lose herself in her work. After a final goodbye and a promise that he’d take care of Marengo, Quentin watched the small group of students and Professor March depart from the Hogwarts entrance way.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He’d spent the rest of the day in his common room, reading </span>
  <em>
    <span>The World in the Walls</span>
  </em>
  <span> while Marengo explored her new living area for the next two weeks (it was easier for Quentin to bring Alice’s pet here than to traipse over to the Ravenclaw Tower once a day). He usually reread the entire series at least once a year, but his schedule at Hogwarts had kept him so busy he’d hardly even looked at any book that didn’t contain spell theory or potion recipes. After getting over halfway through it, and pulling Marengo off of several of the house plants, he’d made his way down to the Great Hall for dinner, and now he glanced around as they waited for the professor.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Callum and Kieran, both of Hufflepuff, sat near Quentin, and Jade, Idri, and Scott, all Gryffindors, sat near Kady. There were a few younger students from Ravenclaw that Quentin didn’t know, and from Slytherin… Quentin tried not to groan as he saw the first year Charlton would be staying at the school over the holiday. Penny was sitting on the steps leading up to the main platform where the faculty ate during meals. The Gryffindor glanced up at Quentin, meeting his eyes briefly. The two had come to a bit of an understanding when, a few days after meeting Marina, he’d approached Penny in the library.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>Quentin smiled at how Penny jumped in his seat as the book landed on the table in front of him with a large thud. Penny turned his dark eyes on Quentin, his mouth tugging into a frown as he saw who stood in front of him.</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>“What do you want, Coldwater?” he asked as he sat back in his chair. “I’m kind of busy.”</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>“It’s about what you want, not me,” Quentin said cryptically. He enjoyed the confused look Penny gave him.</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>“What the fuck are you on about? I really don’t have time for this.”</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>Quentin silently gestured to the book he’d tossed on the table. Penny turned towards it, his eyes lighting up as he read the title. “Fiberpunk’s Glossary of Natural Spell Design… holy shit. How’d you get this?”</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>“Does it matter? You needed it, right?”</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>“Yeah,” Penny said. Then he crossed his arms in front of his chest. “What’s it gonna cost me?”</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>Quentin rolled his eyes. “Nothing. Just… don’t be a dick all the time. And stay out of my head.”</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>Penny frowned. “I’m not a dick ALL the time. And I wouldn’t have to stay out of your head if you’d learn how to actually…” he trailed off as Quentin gave him a pointed look. “Fine,” he sighed.</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>Quentin hovered for one minute longer, until Penny sighed in exasperation and said, “Thank you, Quentin.”</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>Quentin smiled brightly. “You’re welcome,” he said. Then he went to his own table and back to his studies.</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>While Penny and Quentin were never going to be best buds (or any kind of buds), Penny had at least stopped frowning at him all the time. Now he just sort of glossed over him as if he wasn’t even there. Quentin would be lying if he said he didn’t enjoy having him in his debt, in some fashion, even if he didn’t intend to do anything with it. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>His head turned as the sound of footsteps approached. Professor Sunderland walked towards the group, her hair, usually tied back tightly, flowing around her shoulders. She wore her robe, but it was left open, billowing behind her as she walked. She had traded in her button down shirts and pencil skirts for a soft sweater and flowing trousers. She looked ten years younger than when she was lecturing them in class.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Ok,” she said as she looked down at the parchment in her hand. “Please respond when I call your name… Penny Adiyodi?” She looked up and around, frowning.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Then she turned as Penny called out, “Here,” from his spot on the steps behind her. She turned his way and smiled. Then turning back to her list, she said, “Quentin Coldwater?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Quentin raised the hand not holding onto his candy quill into the air as he said, “Here!” The professor nodded and moved down the list, and Quentin resumed sucking on his candy. She went through everyone in the Great Hall, and then Quentin’s heart froze when she called out, “Eliot Waugh?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Here,” came a voice from the back of the Great Hall. Quentin turned to see Eliot casually striding up to the group, looking like he’d just rolled out of bed and decided to come down for a visit. He had his class robe on, but underneath he wore green and black plaid fleece pajama pants, and a white undershirt. Black slippers covered his feet as he padded forward. Again, Quentin was bowled over by how affected he was by Eliot. His mouth went dry at the sleepy casualness that somehow exuded grace and sensuality. Eliot took a seat at the table across from where Quentin was sitting. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Quentin stared at him from across the table top, sugar quill still clutched between his lips. Didn’t he leave yesterday with the other students? Quentin had seen him with a bag… which he now realized probably belonged to Margo. She seemed like the type to bring several bags for even a study trip. Quentin absently pushed the sugar quill further into his mouth, wrapping his tongue around the make-shift feather.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Quentin felt his pulse accelerate as he realized that he’d be spending the break alone at Hogwarts… with Eliot. And a few other students. Of course, the castle was huge… the odds of them actually seeing each other was small, if he wanted it to be. If Eliot wanted it to be. Quentin pulled a few more sweet flakes of flavor off the candy quill and swallowed it down his throat.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Nice of you to join us, Eliot,” Professor Sunderland told him. Eliot smiled and nodded his head to the professor, as if he was doing her a great favor. Then he glanced towards Quentin. He did kind of a double take, his eyes widening and then narrowing as they focused directly on Quentin’s mouth. Eliot’s face drained of color as his Adam’s apple bobbed in his throat, his mouth going slack.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Quentin felt his face go scarlet as he realized he had the sugar quill nearly to the back of his throat, wrapping his tongue around it as he looked back at Eliot. He quickly turned away and rapidly pulled the candy from his mouth, coughing at the rough motion.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Professor Sunderland arched an eyebrow in his direction as Quentin waved a hand her way, to say ‘Yes, I’m fine, just a disaster, don’t mind me.’ She nodded and put away her parchment, turning back to face the group. “Most of you know the drill by now, but for those of you that haven’t spent a break at Hogwarts - a skeleton staff will remain on the grounds for the duration of the break, including myself and the Headmaster. You can access any part of the castle you normally would during school - the common rooms, the library, etc. Most classrooms will be locked, but please see me if you need anything for any reason. Breakfast, lunch, and dinner will be served as usual. There will be a special meal on Christmas Day. We do urge you to use this time to relax - you can take your brooms out on the grounds if you like, explore parts of the castle you haven’t had a chance to yet. Curfew is still in effect and we do not allow students running the castle after lights out, as usual.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>At this Kady smirked and put her head down, and even Penny smiled. Even through his mortification (he hadn’t the balls to look at Eliot since he’d pulled the candy out of his mouth), Quentin had to agree with their silent sentiments - he knew that every night students were out after curfew - Josh usually never fell into his bed until after midnight.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Quentin.”  Quentin started at the professor calling his name. “You’ll be checking on the animals Madame Woolf has in captivity?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Quentin nodded, clearing his throat as he still clutched the sugar quill in one hand. Madame Woolf had a few knarls, two jackalopes, and her pet kneazle that she’d asked Quentin to feed for the first week of break. “I’ll be going down to the hut each morning until she gets back,” he told the professor.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Great. Well, any questions?” At their silence, she said, “Ok. You know where to find me if you need me.” At that, the group started to disperse. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Quentin set the sugar quill down on the table and wiped his hands on his pants. He tentatively glanced over at Eliot out of the corner of his eye - the Slytherin had gathered his robe around him and was sitting hunched over the table. Eliot met his eyes, and then darted away quickly. Idri sauntered over to Eliot, who looked like he would rather be anywhere than the Great Hall. What was his problem?</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Quentin got up from his seat as Kady approached, her usual scowl replaced with a light smile. He turned to her as she started speaking. “I’m going to fly around the grounds, maybe mess around on the Quidditch pitch. I think tomorrow after lunch, if you want to join? Julia said you liked flying… and I know your dance card isn’t exactly full these days.” She smirked at him as Quentin rolled his eyes.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Sure,” he told her. “I haven’t taken out my broom since I got here.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Kady nodded, then glanced over at Idri and Eliot, who had been looking in their direction. “Invite’s open to whoever wants to go,” she tossed over to them.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Idri nodded. “I’ll be there.” He looked down at Eliot, grinning. “You?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Eliot scoffed, seemingly a bit more relaxed than he had been a minute ago. “No thanks. I prefer to get high in other ways.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Kady rolled her eyes. Then, turning back to Quentin, she told him, “We’ll meet down in the entrance hall around one.” At his nod, she left. Quentin picked up his discarded sugar quill, glancing at Eliot as he did so. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Idri was talking to Eliot, but while Eliot was nodding and responding, his eyes were wandering over to Quentin. Eliot glanced down at the quill Quentin had picked up in his hand, and then back up to meet his eyes, an almost exasperated look on his face. Quentin frowned in confusion, at which Eliot turned fully to face Idri.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Quentin tossed his quill in the trash as he left the room. He glanced back over his shoulder as he left - Eliot’s eyes were still on him, even as Idri continued talking to him.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>--</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>The next day, Quentin was hurtling through the air, enjoying the wind at his face as he tried to keep up with Kady. Damn, that girl was fast. Even though it had been almost a year since he’d been on his broom, which itself was over six years old, it hadn’t taken five minutes before he was leaning into his turns and speeding easily over the snow-filled landscape.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>His first visit to Madame Woolf’s that morning had been uneventful. The animals were either in her hut or in the small barn behind her home, and they had all been friendly and happy to see Quentin show up with their food in hand. The kneazle especially was particularly affectionate. After that he'd finished</span>
  <em>
    <span> The World in the Walls</span>
  </em>
  <span> while Marengo snoozed on his lap, then lunch. Then, he dug his broom out of his trunk before heading out the front entrance way.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He hadn’t seen Eliot yet that day, something he wasn’t too upset about, given how he’d embarrassed himself by deep-throating candy while making direct eye contact with him. Quentin felt his face go red just thinking about it, and he focused on the freedom he felt on his broom as he streaked across the sky.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Quentin beared down harder on his broom, trying to catch up with Kady as she sped ahead of him. Idri paced him to his right, and behind him he heard a tiny little voice yelling, “Hey guys! Wait up!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Rolling his eyes, Quentin pulled up on his broom and slowed down, allowing Charlton to catch up. Idri, with a glance behind him, accelerated forward. They were rounding the southeast corner of the castle, passing over the greenhouses and just about to glide over the lake. Quentin had thought that first-years weren’t allowed brooms at school, but he was quickly finding that some rules didn’t appear to mean much at Hogwarts.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Quentin glanced over at Charlton and sighed. This kid was going to get himself killed. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Put your hands up higher on your broom,” he told Charlton as he crowded him a bit, turning him away from the lake and closer to the ground. “Put your whole arm into it - you’ll get more precision if you steer from the shoulders and not just yanking your broom around.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Charlton frowned at Quentin, but he listened and soon his broom was gliding smoother and he seemed less likely to fall and die a horrible death. “Just… don’t go over the lake. And don’t go any higher than this.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Charlton looked around - Quentin had dipped them down to only about ten feet off the ground. “No way! I’m going all the way up to the Astronomy Tower!” He was about to kick off higher when Kady flew in, hovering next to them.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Where’d ya go?” Kady asked Quentin, pushing her curls away from her face.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Trying to keep the first year from dying on our watch,” he told her as Charlton wobbled closer to the ground on the broom.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Kady turned sharply to the young Slytherin. “You’re a first year?” Before Charlton could even respond, Kady pointed her wand to his broom and said, “Reverte!” The broom, and Charlton, dropped to the snowy ground.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“What the hell?” He glared up at the Kady and Quentin as they hovered on their brooms as he climbed to his feet, sliding in the packed snow.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“You have to pass your flying lessons before you’re allowed,” she told him. “Take that broom back to the storage shed where you got it and go back to the castle before I tell Sunderland about this.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>She jerked her head at Quentin, and the two flew off towards the lake, leaving an angry, wet first-year in their wake.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Isn’t it your ass that’ll get kicked for letting him come out with us in the first place?” Quentin asked as they lazily glided through the air.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Yeah, but he doesn’t know that,” Kady said, smiling. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The two continued over the lake, Quentin raising his face to the afternoon sun. The grounds were absolutely beautiful - a white blanket lay below them, smoothing out the landscape and glistening in the afternoon sun. A few other students were running around in the snow near the castle entrance, having a snowball fight. There wasn’t a cloud in the sky, and the warming charm was keeping Quentin the perfect temperature, even as they glided through the cold air.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“So how are you doing after mid-terms and everything?” Kady asked as they approached the Quidditch pitch, where Quentin could see Idri doing a few fancy spins on his broom. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Quentin gave Kady a look. “Everything?” Quentin asked.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Kady shrugged. “Julia may have told me you were having a hard time. Not that I couldn’t see for myself. You are kind of the king of puppy dog eyes.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Quentin rolled his eyes. “She ask you to keep an eye on me over break?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Kady, watching Idri as he dive bombed to the ground and then pulled himself out of it, smirked. “Asked… told… bribed me with things I probably shouldn’t tell you about… it’s all the same. She worries.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Quentin snorted. “I wish she’d worry less about me and more about other things.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Still watching the pitch, Kady said, “Oh, she does. Worry about all the things that she has no business worrying about. But it’s part of her charm.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Quentin nodded. “That it is.” After a pause, he continued, “But I’m fine. I had a bad night, but we all have those. I’m not gonna say I’m good, but I’m better now.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Well, you know,” Kady said, leaning towards him conspiratuely, “keep sucking on those sugar quills in front of Eliot and I bet you’ll be real good real soon.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Quentin’s mouth fell open as he felt the blood rush to his face. “I - ugh,” he stammered. “I’m not - that wasn’t - “</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Kady nearly fell off her broom in her laughter. “Dude, even I was kind of turned on. Like how can you get it so far in there and not even really notice?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Quentin contemplated if he could survive just diving off his broom from this height when Idri floated beside them. “What’s so funny?” he asked, already smiling in anticipation of whatever had Kady in peels of laughter.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Nothing!” Quentin exclaimed in a high-pitched voice, looking at Kady in a panic.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>She smiled at him, her eyes dancing. “Just taking the piss out of Coldwater,” she said, wiping at her eyes.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Well, taking the piss out of anyone has always been your favorite activity,” he told her. Then, with a wide smile, he asked them both, “Fancy a race?” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Quentin had no doubt Idri knew the effect of that smile, as he found himself a bit distracted by the dimples flashing his way. However, it would take much more than a pretty face to ever get Quentin to agree to race Kady, and he shook his head no. Kady readily agreed, and within seconds the two were racing off around the castle.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Quentin watched them go, then steered his broom in the direction of the castle. He weaved in and out of the various towers, absorbing the incredible view. He could see Hogsmead off in the distance, with little puffs of snow coming from various chimneys. He rounded the Ravenclaw tower and angled up to the Astronomy tower, where he hovered for a moment, taking in the beauty of the Scottish landscape.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He caught a glimpse of movement out of the corner of his eye. Turning his head, he nearly fell off his broom when he spotted Eliot sitting in the Astronomy Tower, his back against the wall and his legs splayed out in front of him. He had a joint dangling between his fingers and he was staring off into space. Had he turned his head to his right, he would have seen a startled Hufflepuff with his mouth hanging open.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Quentin backed up just a bit, not wanting to be noticed. Eliot’s hair was blowing in the cool breeze, and as Quentin watched, he tugged his robe tighter around himself. His eyes were drawn, the dark circles underneath more pronounced, his lips downcast. His shoulders were hunched down, and his head was resting back against the wall of the tower. Even as his long legs stretched out before him, Quentin thought he had never looked so small.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The mask of indifference he usually wore was gone, and Quentin saw nothing but pain and sadness in Eliot’s eyes. Quentin felt his heart constrict at the thought of a force as dynamic and strong as Eliot, looking so defeated. What had happened to turn the man that had dueled him with such light and ferocity into this downcast, hardened person? Suddenly Quentin wanted nothing more than to take the sun out of the sky and put it in Eliot’s eyes, to have him alight and smiling.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Quentin knew better than anyone how that was easier said than done. But as he watched Eliot place the joint between his lips and suck in a drag (looking much sexier than he had any right to), he knew he had to try. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>At this point, it was obvious even to Quentin that he was in deep end with Eliot. Even with the whiplash from Eliot’s mood swings, and the warning from Seb about how he was bad news, Quentin was drawn to Eliot in a way that almost overwhelmed him. If he had one working brain cell, he’d stay away from Eliot before he was dragged so far below he had no chance of ever breaking the surface again. But if there was one thing Quentin excelled at, it was his ability to pick the option that was most harmful to himself. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Hearing some whoops and hollers in the distance, Quentin turned around to see Kady and Idri returning to the Quidditch Pitch. From the triumphant grin on Kady’s face, visible from this distance, she must have won. Quentin saw her raise her arm and wave in his direction.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Quentin waved back. He turned back to the tower, to see a glimpse of Eliot’s cloak as he walked into the main part of the tower. The remains of the joint lay on the floor of the tower near where he had been sitting.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>As Quentin angled his broom back towards his friends, he resolved that the next time he saw Eliot, he’d make the attempt to talk to him. A real conversation. Where he wasn’t a complete idiot.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Ok, maybe that was too much to ask. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>But he knew that he’d never forgive himself if he didn’t try. If Eliot wanted a friend right now, Quentin was ready to fill that void for him. The same way that Sam had been a real friend to Frodo. Or Tony Stark had been to Steve Rogers. At least, the way they’d been friends in the comics. The film version was just way too angry. Regardless, he could try.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>What was the worst that could happen?</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>--</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>tbc in Chapter 9: The Thestrals</span>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0009"><h2>9. The Thestrals</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Please mind the tags - there is discussion of suicidal thoughts in this chapter. Please see end notes for more direction if you’d like to skip this section.</p>
<p>I realize I am taking liberties with how one may be able to see a Thestral in the HP world. Let’s roll with it. Also, Hogwarts no longer uses Thestrals to pull the carriages to Hogsmeade - they’ve upgraded to other methods over the years, hence why one may not be able to easily see a Thestral throughout the year.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    
<p></p><div class="center">
  <p><br/>  </p>
</div><p>
  <em>Quentin </em>
</p>
<p>Quentin soon found that ‘waiting until he saw Eliot’ again may not be the best strategy if he wanted to talk to him before school came back into session. And while the thought of walking up to Eliot and forcing real, solid words out of his mouth terrified him, he found that he really, really did want to talk to Eliot. The image of him, hunched and drawn in on himself in the astronomy tower, had stuck with Quentin. No matter what bad shit Eliot might have done in the past, Quentin wanted, needed to know that he was, or would be, okay.</p>
<p>During breakfast, lunch, and dinner the days after glimpsing Eliot in the tower, he saw no sign of the Slytherin as he casually glanced around the Great Hall. He hadn’t seen him while wandering through the library, under the pretense of seeing how Madame Zelda’s holiday was going (“Just fine, thank you, Quentin"). He had also struck out when he took a walk through the castle to ‘stretch his legs’ (the stairs apparently took the holiday off as well, and he was able to take some time to study the setup, which would help immensely in actually being on time for Care of Magical Creatures). He’d even strolled through the dungeons a few times, earning a glare from Professor Mayakovsky when he’d ran into him in one of the dark hallways.</p>
<p>Despite his lack of success in ‘running into’ Eliot, he found he was enjoying himself. The castle seemed less foreboding when he had it almost all to himself. He was certainly keeping the ghosts entertained (he was very glad no one was around to witness him chasing Peeves around the Great Hall when the poltergeist had stolen his bag, and Nearly Headless Nick had found his diagrams of the stairs wildly amusing). He chatted with several of the portraits as he explored, hearing stories of past students (apparently Professor Sunderland was decidedly NOT as buttoned up as a teen as she appeared today) and even old war-time skirmishes from way before Quentin’s time.</p>
<p>After two days of no luck, Quentin realized that short of camping outside of the Slytherin common room (which was absolutely at the bottom of his list, right under ‘Ask Penny for help’), he wasn’t sure how to find Eliot. And then, once he found him, what he would actually do with him. Well, he knew what he <em> wanted </em>to do with him (spoiler alert: it involved mouths, tongues, and various other body parts), but that was a pipe dream. Quentin knew, had known since the first time they locked eyes, that Eliot was way out of his league. But a friendship - maybe that was possible. There would just have to be a step or two from ‘Hello’ to ‘Let me be there for you when times get tough.’ Even though only a day or so had passed since he’d last seen Eliot, when he thought about the events between them since he’d arrived at Hogwarts, it felt like another month had gone by with no relief in sight.</p>
<p>So as night fell two days after Alice left, Quentin decided to do something he’d been meaning to ever since he got to Hogwarts. He gathered together a few joints and potions from Josh, a spare quilt from the house linen closet, his copy of <em> The Girl Who Told Time </em>, his hoodie and robe, and of course his wand, and stealthily made his way to the Astronomy Tower.</p>
<p>While he was hoping to see Eliot at the tower (he’d checked it during the day in his walks around the castle and had only found it vacant), he was also thinking the Hogwarts tower would hold the same escape as its counterpart in the states.  The tower at Ilvermorny had been one of his favorite retreats in his later years, offering a place for him to clear his mind and center himself. The view from the one at Hogwarts was even more impressive than the mountain landscapes offered in Massachusetts. </p>
<p>He was not disappointed - as he climbed the last steps of the spiral staircase that led up to the room that housed several telescopes, books, and other star-gazing materials, his breath was taken away by just a glimpse of the blanket of dark stars spread before him. The huge globular telescope sat in the middle of the tower, currently silent and still in the large chamber. Quentin hadn’t seen it in motion, since he wasn’t taking Astronomy, but he’d heard it was powerful enough to see into other galaxies. Quentin moved forward to an area just off the main room of the tower - a balcony section that was fully exposed to the elements. This was where he had seen Eliot sitting the day before. This far north at this point in the season, he could almost see just a whisper of green and purple northern lights off to the east, swirling into the inky blackness of the winter sky. The night was crisp and clear; Quentin felt that he could make out each individual stream of starlight that cascaded down onto the snowy landscape below. A quarter moon hung in the sky, a light silver aura floating around it like a soft veil.</p>
<p>After standing near the railing on the edge of the balcony, shivering, he remembered that he was a wizard, and cast a warming spell on himself. He spread out the quilt in the same spot Eliot had been laying in the other day, downed a relaxation potion and then lit up a joint (the double whammy of Josh’s potions and the pot gave him one of the mellowest yet clearest highs he’d ever experienced). He took a deep inhale and then reached for his book, diving straight into Jane Chatwin’s adventure with the Watcherwoman.</p>
<p>He’d been there long enough to get through a couple of chapters, one joint, a puff of a second, and was immersed in an incredibly blissful haze when footsteps behind him made him freeze. Suddenly realizing he had set up exactly zero wards, he remained still and prayed it was a student and not a teacher stepping onto the platform. Afraid to even turn his head, his eyes darted to the left to see a long pair of robe-covered legs standing beside him. He then had to tilt his head back to look up to see the confused (and a bit amused) hazel eyes of Eliot staring back down at him. </p>
<p>He blinked up at Eliot, thinking that maybe the potency of Josh’s pot was way more than he anticipated and he was hallucinating when Eliot gave a startled laugh.</p>
<p>“Quentin?” he said, stepping further onto the balcony and coming to stand in front of him. “Are you…” He trailed off as he knelt down and leaned a bit closer to Quentin. Quentin, still registering that Eliot, whom he’d been searching for over the past two days, was in front of him and within arm’s reach, blinked slowly at him. Eliot sat back on his haunches and smiled, laughing quietly.</p>
<p>“You are. You are blazed out of your mind.”</p>
<p>Quentin’s mouth opened and closed, the joint still clutched between two fingers, as he tried and failed to form words. Of course when he had Eliot, alone, under a moonlit sky atop the tallest tower at Hogwarts, he didn’t have his shit together enough to form a fucking sentence.</p>
<p>Eliot looked down, still grinning. Quentin looked back up at him, and couldn’t help but smile back, a small giggle escaping his lips. The two boys stared at each other for a moment. Then, Eliot cleared his throat and turned away.</p>
<p>He stood up and said, “Well, I didn’t mean to disturb your solo trip. I’ll leave you to it.” Then he took a few steps back to the interior of the tower.</p>
<p>Quentin quickly found his voice, sitting up straight and saying, “No!” so fiercely he almost startled himself. Eliot stopped and turned back to Quentin, looking down at him.</p>
<p>Quentin cleared his throat, and said, “Um, don’t go. Please stay.” He then pushed over a foot or so, making room on the blanket for Eliot.</p>
<p>Eliot peered down at him, his eyes sparkling as he gazed down at Quentin. “Well. Ok. But only if you share.” Then he plunked down next to Quentin, stretching his legs out in front of him just as he had when Quentin had seen him the other day. Quentin, suddenly faced with the man who had occupied almost every one of his waking thoughts for the past four months, just inches away, felt the effects of his relaxation potion fall away as his heart threatened to beat right out his chest. He wordlessly offered the joint to Eliot, and their fingers brushed as Eliot took it from him, and raised it to his mouth. He took a long drag, closing his eyes and leaning his head back against the wall of the tower.</p>
<p>Quentin stared at him, focusing on his full lips as they closed around the rolled paper, watching the bob of his throat as he inhaled, his long fingers as he lowered the hand that held the joint, and the almost imperceptible twitch of the corner of his mouth as his body absorbed the high. Eliot gave a contented sigh as he extended the blunt back to Quentin, who accepted it. He looked at it for a moment, then back to Eliot, who looked more relaxed than Quentin had seen him in months. Then he raised it, the same one that had been between Eliot’s lips just seconds ago, to his own mouth, and inhaled.</p>
<p>The two boys sat side by side for a few moments, looking at the sky and feeling the calm in the air. Then Quentin noticed Eliot pull his knees up closer to him, shiver, and pull his robe tighter around his body.</p>
<p>“Oh, shit. You’re cold.” Quentin reached for his wand and sat up straight, then turned and pointed it at Eliot.</p>
<p>Eliot’s eyes were opened and already a little bloodshot - Quentin could only imagine his eyes probably looked the same (most likely worse) by now.  “Um. Quentin. What are you doing?” he asked, a little warily.</p>
<p>Quentin smiled. “Warming you up,” he said. Then he moved his wand and cast the warmth spell Julia had shown him, on both Eliot and himself, as his was due to run out soon.</p>
<p>Almost instantly, Quentin could see Eliot look more comfortable as he unwrapped his arms from around himself and let his legs stretch out again. “Well, I suppose that’s one way to do it,” he said as he smiled flirtatiously at Quentin. Quentin felt the color in his cheeks in a way that was not at all due to the chilly air. “Where’d you learn that? I can never get it to give me more than a blast of warm air.”</p>
<p>“Julia,” Quentin said, shrugging. Eliot nodded as Quentin settled back, a few inches closer to Eliot than he had been before. “I can show you later if you want.”</p>
<p>Eliot nodded again, and silence returned. Quentin could feel the heat radiating between the two of them - their arms were separated by nary an inch, and if he’d shift just a bit, their shoulders would touch. Quentin ran his eyes over the long lines of Eliot’s legs, and then back out to the dark night spread out before them.</p>
<p>“So,” Quentin said, breaking the silence, “decided to stay at school over break?”</p>
<p>“Obviously,” Eliot said dryly, plucking the joint out of Quentin’s hand and taking another drag. He laid that same hand on his leg, just inches away from Quentin’s own. Quentin felt his hand twitch as the urge to reach out and drag his palm over those strong, supple fingers roared in his ears.</p>
<p>“I don’t go home if I can help it,” Eliot continued. Quentin turned to face him, watching as his dark curls moved in the breeze. Eliot hadn’t shaved in a few days; the stubble spread across his chin and cheeks and Quentin wondered what it would feel like to have it brush against his face or his lips, or perhaps along his inner thigh. Then he had a mild panic attack wondering if Eliot was any form of Legilimens and he was hearing all of Quentin’s dirty little thoughts spilling out of his broken brain. But Eliot seemed content and relaxed, and Quentin doubted that would be the case if he could hear the filth that Quentin knew had to be radiating off him right now. He swallowed hard as he reminded himself that he was going to totally fuck up any chance at any kind of friendship with Eliot if he couldn’t control his thoughts. “Usually I go back with Margo on break, but that wasn’t an option this year.”</p>
<p>Quentin nodded. He was about to ask Eliot how long he had known Margo when Eliot asked, “What about you? Didn’t want to go too far away from the boyfriend for the break?” His eyes stared out into the night, not looking at Quentin at all while he spoke.</p>
<p>Quentin frowned at Eliot, not understanding. “Boyfriend?” he said. “What boyfriend?”</p>
<p>Eliot looked at Quentin then, turning the full force of his dark eyes on him. As intense as always, Quentin felt that familiar calculation he now expected from Slytherins, although right now it gave him more warm tingles than cold chills. “Seb? Your best date ever that you couldn’t wait to tell me about?” Eliot smiled in a way that didn’t reach his eyes as he looked back out at the scenery again.</p>
<p>Quentin stared at Eliot as the pieces clicked into place. Had he really thought that Quentin and Seb had been dating this entire time? Of course, Quentin realized he had no reason to not think that, since the only words they’d exchanged had been, “Can you hand me that vial, please?” or “Coldwater, your cauldron’s overflowing.” (Of course the one time he’d let his attention wander over his cauldron - which had really been Eliot’s fault since he’d taken off his robe in class and had been wearing this tight button-down with suspenders, that goddamned wand holster strapped around his shoulder - Eliot was right nearby.) </p>
<p>“No,” was the only word Quentin could force out of his mouth. At Eliot’s look, he shook his head and clarified. “Eliot, that date was awful. I haven’t spoken to Seb since.”</p>
<p>Eliot stared back at him cooly, and Quentin registered surprise and something else behind his expression. “Really? Awful?” he repeated. “That’s… surprising.” He turned to look back at the night sky.</p>
<p>Quentin shifted, sitting up a bit straighter. “I mean, he was fine, it just wasn’t… right.”</p>
<p>Eliot turned and looked at Quentin. “Right?” he repeated again. Quentin felt pinned down by his stare, as if Eliot was searching for something that Quentin didn’t even know he had. </p>
<p>“Y-yeah,” Quentin said softly. “Plus, I don’t think he cared for the fact that I rearranged his book shelf to be alphabetical by author and genre.”</p>
<p>Eliot snorted and smiled, turning back to the view. “And how had they been arranged before you got your hands on them?”</p>
<p>“By size! Ridiculous. I mean, my bookshelf is set up in my own way that lets me find what I need the fastest, based on when in my life I first read it and therefore its impact on me, but there’s no way I can really do that to someone else’s organizational system. At least not unless I know them really well.” At that Eliot let out a full-out laugh, smiling. Quentin’s heart got lighter at that smile, feeling as if the clouds had parted and the moon shone down on him.</p>
<p>“So no second date for Seb?” Eliot asked, turning back to him. </p>
<p>“No,” Quentin said. He didn’t know if it was the night sky, the pot, Eliot’s presence, or everything combined but he was the lightest he’d felt in ages. He gazed up at the sky, thinking that it would be the easiest thing in the world to reach up and pluck out a star, hand it over to Eliot, and see the answers to questions he didn’t even know to ask reflected in his gaze.</p>
<p>Eliot reached over and nudged Quentin’s hand that was still holding the joint. Suppressing a shudder as the electricity he always felt near Eliot shot up his arm, Quentin readily gave it to him. Eliot took a long inhale and then offered it back to Quentin. Quentin shook his head as he looked regretfully at it.</p>
<p>“No, I should stop. I really shouldn’t have even lit up a second one. I have to be up early to check on the animals at the Madame Woolfe’s hut.”</p>
<p>Eliot nodded, lowering his hand. “How’d you get roped into that, anyway? You get extra credit for it?”</p>
<p>“No, she needed help so I volunteered,” Quentin said. At Eliot’s arched eyebrow, Quentin said, “What? It’s just a few days, she’ll come back after Christmas. And they’re all super cute.”</p>
<p>“Somehow I doubt that,” Eliot said dryly.</p>
<p>“No, really,” Quentin protested. “Most of the larger animals go to the sanctuary when she has to go away, so there’s just a few smaller ones that she thought would be better off without being moved. There’s Quilliam Shakespear, Mr. Pricklepants, and Powder Puff - those are the knarls. Frodo Hopkins and Rabbagast the Brown are the Jackalopes, and Catrick Swayze is her Kneazle. He’s the best. I mean, they’re all fantastic animals, but Swayze is the epitome of a soft heart in a crazy huge cat body.”</p>
<p>He turned to see Eliot staring at him, his eyes the softest that Quentin had ever seen, and he appeared to be fighting a losing battle against the corners of his mouth from perking up. “Catrick Swayze?” he asked.</p>
<p>“I dunno, I didn’t name them. I guess Woolfe has a <em> Dirty Dancing </em> fetish.”</p>
<p>“Well, I can’t blame her for that,” Eliot said, as he took another hit (the last one, judging from the size of the blunt). “I did name my owl Johnny Castle”</p>
<p>This time Quentin was the one shooting Eliot a look. Eliot stared back at him and said deploringly, “You have actually seen<em> Dirty Dancing </em>?”</p>
<p>“I have an 18-year-old sister,” Quentin replied. “I could recite Johnny’s speech from the last dance of the season at Kellerman’s right now, if you wanted me to.”</p>
<p>“Oh, I want,” Eliot said, a wicked grin lighting up his face.</p>
<p>“Ok, maybe I exaggerated,” Quentin said, laughing. “But yes, I have seen it. Multiple times.”</p>
<p>The two sat, laughing for a moment. A comfortable silence settled, and then Quentin, in a surge of confidence completely fueled by the drugs in his system, said, “Hey, you should come with me tomorrow morning when I feed the animals. It’ll be fun.”</p>
<p>“Not really my definition of fun. Getting out of bed before noon to take care of some dirty animals is pretty much the exact opposite of my version of a good time.” Eliot was still smiling though, so Quentin knew he wasn’t totally lost on the idea.</p>
<p>“They’re not dirty,” Quentin said. “Come on. I know you want to meet Catrick Swayze.”</p>
<p>Eliot looked at Quentin silently for a minute. “Alright. I’ll go meet the feline embodiment of god’s gift to the late 80’s. Not before 10AM, though.”</p>
<p>Quentin’s smile grew at Eliot’s agreement. “Cool. We can meet at the entrance hall at 10,” he said. Then, with a bit of trepidation and hesitation, he added, “Because I - I’d really love for us to be friends.”</p>
<p>At this Eliot’s smile dropped from his face. His hands, which had been loosely clasped together in his lap, spasmed a bit, and then tightened together. “Friends?” he repeated.</p>
<p>“Y-yeah,” Quentin said, his heart clenching. Had he completely fucked this up? “Unless... you’re not interested in that?”</p>
<p>Eliot was silent for a moment, then he said, “I don’t really have friends, Quentin.”</p>
<p>Quentin frowned. “I don’t believe that. You have Margo.”</p>
<p>Eliot sighed. “Bambi is… the word friend doesn’t really do justice to what she is to me.”</p>
<p>Quentin was silent, not really sure how to proceed. That statement about Margo was a lot to unpack, and he didn’t want to push Eliot to be his friend if that wasn’t what he wanted. The mood had taken an uncomfortable turn - the conversation was starting to hit 'Scott's Tots' level of awkward.</p>
<p>“Ok, well, just, never mind. I didn’t mean to make things weird.” Quentin pulled his knees up closer to him, and wrapped his arms around them.</p>
<p>Eliot shook his head. “No, no - that's not... Of course I’d love to be your friend, Quentin.” He said the word ‘friend’ through gritted teeth, which made Quentin feel worse. He’d basically guilted him into agreeing to be his friend - who DOES that? King Quentin Coldwater the Disaster, that’s who.</p>
<p>Quentin felt his warming charm suddenly drop away as a cold chill enveloped him. He knew Eliot felt it too, as he saw him start to shiver.</p>
<p>“We should get back to our rooms before someone comes looking for us,” Eliot said, standing up. Quentin quickly followed suit, gathering up his things and vanishing the remains of the joint. He followed Eliot down the stairs, and into the stone hallway.</p>
<p>“I’ll see you tomorrow?” Quentin asked as they parted ways.</p>
<p>Eliot didn’t meet his eyes as he said, “Yeah, sure.” Then he strode off in the direction of the dungeons.</p>
<p>Though he had just had the longest conversation with Eliot since he’d first laid eyes on him, and he’d shared a joint with him (their lips had basically touched, if you put it all together) - Quentin’s heart felt heavier than it had before he'd gone up to the top of the tower.</p>
<p>--</p>
<p>The next morning, Quentin stood in the entrance way of Hogwarts, looking at his watch. It was five after ten - and no sign of Eliot. Quentin sighed, and was about to head off to the hut on his own when he heard footsteps behind him. He turned, and saw Eliot marching his way.</p>
<p>Gone was the bedraggled student he’d seen the night before - this Eliot was perfectly dressed and coiffed, his curls styled and cascading near his face in a way that was much too elegant to not be purposeful. His robe was secured shut, but Quentin could see his tie perfectly cinched in the collar of his light blue button down. A tie, he noted with some ridiculous pleasure, that was gold. Accented with purple and green flowers.</p>
<p>Quentin smiled as Eliot stopped next to him. “Nice tie.”</p>
<p>Eliot regarded him coolly. “I like to explore other color palettes when not forced to adhere to the completely ridiculous uniform policy that Hogwarts uses to constrict our self expression.” As Quentin absorbed that, Eliot continued, “Now let’s not delay. Catrick Swayze is waiting for me.” He then swept past Quentin out the door, and Quentin smiled and rolled his eyes as he jogged to catch up with him.</p>
<p>The two made their way down the snow-filled grounds towards the Gamekeeper’s hut. It appeared small from the outside; a tiny wooden cottage with flower boxes that were currently bare but would be full of color in the spring, and a tall chimney off to the side of the pointed thatched roof. Behind the cottage was a small barn, surrounded by wood fencing that extended to one side of the hut. The immediate yard was usually reserved for whatever creature they may be studying in class - the past two weeks they’d had a visit from a diricawl (a fat dodo-looking bird that Quentin was so glad couldn’t fly because it had so much attitude it would probably dive bomb anyone at first chance) and a few jackalopes (which Quentin hadn’t always thought of as mythical creatures, until he met one that could breathe fire last year at Ilvermorny - he’d lost one robe standing too close to it, and almost his wand as well. Thankfully the ones currently at Hogwarts were not quite so trigger-happy). Madame Woolfe was actually in Romania right now, with hopes of returning with a few baby dragons for study over the second half of the year. Quentin was almost out of his mind at the possibility of meeting a real live dragon, although he hoped it went better than meeting the jackalope.</p>
<p>The barn in the back held the larger and sometimes more dangerous animals, like the dragons that may be coming to visit, porlocks, and Quentin had even heard talk that the school once had a tamed chimaera for a few months. Currently the barn only housed the jackalopes, and the cottage held the smaller animals that Quentin would be feeding.</p>
<p>Quentin pulled out the key to the hut that Madame Woolfe had loaned him, and as he stuck it in the lock he could already hear the loud greeting of Catrick. The door shuddered as the Kneazle rubbed up against the other side.</p>
<p>“Uh, Quentin,” Eliot said, not without a trace of nervousness, “Exactly how big is Catrick Swayze?”</p>
<p>Quentin threw a smirk over his shoulder as he carefully opened the wooden door. It was then almost yanked out of his hand as a large brown cat-like creature shoved his head in between the small gap and leapt up into Quentin’s arms. He rubbed his face against Quentin’s neck as Quentin carefully stepped into the small main room of the cottage, his arms loaded down with contented Kneazle. Catrick’s loud purr soon filled the air.</p>
<p>Eliot followed behind Quentin, shutting the door behind him. At the noise, Catrick’s overly large pointed ears turned askew, and his head turned in Eliot’s direction. His sharp green eyes narrowed as he saw Eliot, and he deftly jumped out of Quentin’s arms and to the ground, leaving a not-insignificant layer of his hair behind on Quentin’s robe. Catrick was one of the most beautiful Kneazle’s Quentin had ever seen - his brown fur was patterned almost like a tabby, but with streaks of black and gold within. His long whiskers vibrated as he sniffed the air, and his tail, long with a tuft of black hair on the end, swirled lightly back and forth as he observed the new visitor.</p>
<p>Eliot backed up a step as Catrick stalked towards him, rubbing on every piece of furniture within reach (which wasn’t much, this room at least didn’t appear to have any extension charms, and there was only room for a small couch, a couple of chairs and a table amid the book shelves shoved along the walls). The Kneazle surveyed him coolly - Quentin thought that, as friendly as the animal was to him, he was the spitting image of a Slytherin mascot with his green eyes and calculating stare at Eliot.</p>
<p>Eliot, for his part, looked right back at Catrick, observing him just as frankly. After a minute staredown where neither party moved, Catrick looked back at Quentin, who was smirking as he watched the exchange. Then, with a loud mew, Catrick pushed forward towards Eliot, rubbing himself against his legs (leaving quite the dusting of cat hair on his robe).</p>
<p>“He likes you!” Quentin said happily. Eliot reached down and stroked the top of Catrick’s head, and then scratched under his neck, which Quentin knew was the animal’s favorite. Eliot was rewarded with a loud purr as Catrick pushed against his legs so hard that Eliot almost toppled over.</p>
<p>“He certainly is friendly,” Eliot said as Catrick practically herded him over to the small couch, where he fell into a seat. Catrick jumped up and on his lap, getting comfortable before settling in and pushing his large paws against Eliot’s stomach, purring contentedly the entire time.</p>
<p>“He isn’t usually, not to strangers,” Quentin said as he headed over to a small door against the far wall. He opened it, revealing a second room that housed several small cages on various tables. This room did have an extension charm, so there was enough room for the tables and animal habitats. Quentin continued speaking over his shoulder as he opened the food containers for the knarls, and opened their cages to fill their food dishes.</p>
<p>“Kneazles are really smart and usually pretty territorial. Catrick is a purebred, and Madame Woolfe had to get a special permit to have him here. They’re supposed to be great guard animals - rumor is they are great at sniffing out distrustful people.” Quentin removed Mr. Pricklepants, his favorite knarl, from his cage, and walked back to the front room. He smothered a laugh as he saw that Eliot was almost completely obscured by the huge ball of fur in his lap. Catrick had settled in for a bath right on top of Eliot, whose robe was absolutely covered in Kneazle hair. It would have to be subjected to a heavy cleaning charm before he wore it again. </p>
<p>He could still see Eliot’s slight frown though, even through the fur. “Well his asshole radar must be malfunctioning, then,” Eliot said as he tried to bat Catrick’s heavy tail out of his face. As Quentin stood there, smiling and watching, Eliot gave him a pleading look. “Little help here?”</p>
<p>Quentin walked forward and gave Catrick a gentle nudge off Eliot’s lap. The Kneazle fell to the other couch cushion with a thud, and gave Quentin an indignant look at the disruption of his comfort. Eliot stood up and looked down at his fur-covered robe. “He’s cute, but he’s lucky this is a school uniform.”</p>
<p>Quentin nodded towards the opened door. “Come see the Knarls. They aren’t quite so hairy.” Quentin showed Elliot the Knarls, how to pick them up and feed them treats. Eliot took a particular liking to Quilliam Shakespeare, probably due to the fact that he had a little marking just above his nose that made him look like he was sporting an adorable mustache.</p>
<p>After Quentin made sure the Knarls and Catrick were well fed, the pair walked out the back door of the cottage to the barn, with Catrick following. As they approached the barn, Catrick darted around the side, leaving Kneazle-sized holes in the snow wherever he bounded. As Quentin opened a small side door, Eliot pulled off his robe, revealing a brown and gold vest over his shirt, and a pair of impeccably fitting blue trousers. Frowning, he shook it out a few times, animal hair scattering into the air. Quentin felt his face grow warm as his eyes trailed over Eliot’s form. He certainly could wear a pair of pants. Quentin quickly looked forward, clearing his throat as Eliot huffed and slid back into his robe.</p>
<p>“Madame Woolfe is falling behind in grooming her animals,” Eliot remarked as he followed Quentin inside the barn. A wave of warm air hit them - the barn and the hut were warded to keep a certain temperature in the cold weather. The interior looked just like any barn found anywhere else - hay on the ground, stalls lining each side of the large room, and a tack room in the back. Quentin could hear the quiet rustles of Frodo Hopkins and Rabbagast the Brown as they moved around inside one of the stalls.</p>
<p>Quentin walked over to the stall and flicked open the latch, attempting to pull open the door. It was sticking in place, and he frowned at it as he pulled it again.</p>
<p>Eliot walked over and lifted, shifting the door up a few inches and then pulling it open. “Looks like the hinges need to be replaced, or at least tightened,” he remarked as he guided the door carefully open. “It happened a lot back -”</p>
<p>His voice faltered suddenly, and Quentin looked at him as Eliot cleared his throat. “I’ve just seen it be fixed that way. So, these are jackalopes?” he said quickly, looking down into the stall.</p>
<p>Quentin, curious but not wanting to push, let the moment pass and smiled at the animals as they hopped forward eagerly. They were larger than normal rabbits, around fifteen pounds, each with a tiny set of antlers atop their heads. Rabbagast the Brown was, as expected, brown, with a tail slightly larger than the puffball you’d expect to find on a rabbit. Frodo was all white fur and brown antlers, with blue eyes so keen Quentin had known from the first moment he’d seen him that he was nowhere near as innocent as his namesake.</p>
<p>“Yep. Meet Frodo Hopkins and Rabbagast the Brown.” Quentin smiled as he lightly scratched Rabbagast’s back. </p>
<p>Eliot’s eyebrows raised as he tentatively patted Frodo. “Are you sure you didn’t name them?”</p>
<p>“Yes,” Quentin chuckled. “I think Madame Woolfe is more of a nerd than I am.” He rose and walked to the small tack room in the back. There was a muggle freezer, although it had no electricity. It was warded with a freezing charm to keep the contents cold and accessible to only those with permission. Quentin pulled out a few frozen pieces of raw meat, and used his wand to defrost them. He was stepping out into the main area when he heard Eliot calling for him.</p>
<p>“Um, Quentin? Q?” Quentin smiled at the nickname - he didn’t even think Eliot had realized he had said it. “It’s - he’s eating my robe!” Eliot’s voice grew slightly more high-pitched.</p>
<p>Quentin hurried over to where Frodo had settled in and began making a meal of Eliot’s robe. He held the meat out in front of the jackalopes, whose eyes were suddenly glued to their next meal. “Sorry,” he told Eliot as he led the animals to the fenced area behind the barn. “I should have warned you - they’ll eat anything when they get hungry.”</p>
<p>Quentin tossed out the meat into the yard, and the jackalopes hopped through the snow towards it. Their bodies left little holes in the snow, a nice complement to the larger ones Catrick had left in his path. Quentin used his wand to clean his hands and looked around for the Kneazle. He heard a mew from above him, and he looked up to see Catrick eyeing him speculative from the roof of the barn. “Well, I hope you can get down from there yourself,” Quentin told him as Eliot walked up next to him. “I’m not going up after you.”</p>
<p>Catrick sent a huff their way, and he turned away and walked across the roof. How he managed that, Quentin had no idea - the roof was arched and full of snow, but Catrick seemed to be in complete control of his steps across the icy surface.</p>
<p>Quentin turned to Eliot, who was watching Frodo and Rabbagast hop around with a smile on his face. Taking in Eliot’s dirty, and now chewed on robe, he said, “I’m sorry. I can fix and clean that for you,” he said, gesturing to the robe.</p>
<p>Eliot looked at Quentin, and then down at his robe. “It’s ok, I can take care of it. I wasn’t aware hanging out with you would be so much of an adventure,” he said.</p>
<p>“It’s usually not,” he told Eliot, watching his fingers as they plucked at one of many hairs still on his robe. Even covered in Kneazle hair, he was still the most gorgeous thing Quentin had ever seen.</p>
<p>Eliot gave a rueful grin as he met Quentin’s eye. “Somehow I doubt that,” he said. Quentin felt that familiar heat in his belly again, searing up his chest and down his arm. The way he felt when Eliot looked at him was akin to when he’d consciously performed magic for the first time. At Ilvermorny, when he’d floated a feather an inch off his desk. A mixture of awe, pleasure, curiosity, and genuine bliss to be where he was right at that exact moment. He felt alive.</p>
<p>Remembering himself, Quentin ripped his gaze away from Eliot, swallowing as he looked out at the yard. “I usually let them run around for twenty minutes or so, give them some exercise before I put them back in the barn.”</p>
<p>Eliot nodded, and wrapped his robe around himself as he exhaled a frosty breath. Quentin pulled out his wand and dropped the warmth spell on both of them as Eliot gave him a small smile. Eliot had opened his mouth to say something when he was interrupted from a loud screech from the direction of the forest. Both boys turned, and Quentin’s mouth went dry.</p>
<p>“What the fuck is that?” Eliot asked, his eyes wide. Hidden just in the branches of the forbidden forest, about fifty yards from where they stood, was a Thestral. Only it’s skeletal head was visible in the brush, leaning out just a bit as it looked in their direction.</p>
<p>Quentin turned a questioning gaze on Eliot. “You can see it?” he asked, surprised. He’d first seen one in his third year, when he’d walked past a seventh-year Magical Creatures class. He’d stared at the strange animals, some kind of a cross between a horse and a reptile as some of the students had gaped along with him, and others had just looked around almost sheepishly. Alice had been next to him, and he could still remember the sadness in her eyes as she’d grabbed and squeezed his hand when he turned to her and asked basically the same thing Eliot had, just with a little less fuck in it.</p>
<p>Eliot looked back at Quentin. “Yes, I can see the scary black horse skeleton! Can’t you?” he asked Quentin as his eyes moved between him and the Thestral.</p>
<p>“Yeah, I can,” Quentin told him. “And they’re not so scary, at least not the ones that live in the forest - they’re pretty tame. They don’t usually come this close to campus, though. They must be hungry.” He turned and walked back into the barn, heading to the tack room. He returned with a small leather bag that he’d put a few more pieces of meat in. He started walking towards the forest edge, where another Thestral head had joined the first. This one was a bit smaller - it must be a baby.</p>
<p>“Come on,” he tossed over his shoulder, where Eliot still stood in the same place. Eliot caught up to Quentin quickly.</p>
<p>“What are they?” he asked again as they approached slowly. The Thestrals (Quentin could now see a third - two adults and a baby) backed away as they approached. </p>
<p>“They’re called Thestrals,” Quentin said as they walked into a small clearing. The snow wasn’t as thick on the ground here, as the tree cover prevented much of it from getting to the ground. One of the adult Thestrals tilted it’s head as the boys stopped. Quentin reached in his bag, pulled out a piece of meat, and tossed it in the animals direction. The baby reached down and grabbed it between it’s jaws, pulling it apart with sharp, strong teeth. Quentin tossed out two more pieces for the larger Thestrals; they each grabbed one and began to eat. The meat was gone in a matter of seconds.</p>
<p>“I’ve never seen them before,” Eliot said. Quentin looked at him from the corner of his eye. “They’re… beautiful in a really depressing kind of way.”</p>
<p>Quentin nodded as he watched one Thestral tuck it’s leathery wings into its sides, padding gracefully around the clearing on skinny legs attached to thick hooves. It focused it’s large glittering white eyes on Quentin as it tilted it’s head, asking for more food. Their eyes were completely blank and expressionless, but even so Quentin could feel the contemplation in the Thestral’s gaze. Quentin had glimpsed them in the forest a few times this year during his classes, but he’d never been so close to one for so long. Their skin was glossy and so thin it was almost translucent, and both adults had a thin mane of black hair. The smaller one just had black tufts up it’s spine. Their heads reminded Quentin of a dragon, with their hooked noses, and bony pointed ears. </p>
<p>“Didn’t you go over them in Defense Against the Dark Arts?” Quentin asked Eliot. Mayakovsky had briefly touched on them during lectures this year, but not in any real detail.</p>
<p>“Maybe. Mayakovsky only ever really cares about dementors, so I never really paid attention to much else when he talked about creatures.”</p>
<p>Quentin’s mouth moved into a thin line as he tossed another piece to each animal. He then showed him his empty bag to prove that he’d given them all he could. He cleaned his hands again with his wand, and then tucked it back into his pocket.</p>
<p>“Not everyone can see them,” he said. “I couldn’t until my third year. I remember seeing them for the first time when I was walking with Alice. She told me the school had tamed ones on the grounds, and they were always there… I just never saw them.”  He turned to Eliot, and at his questioning look, he told him, “You can only see them if you’ve seen death.”</p>
<p>Quentin watched Eliot’s face drain of color as he stared back at Quentin, and then looked to the Thestrals. “Oh,” he said quietly, as he almost reverently looked at the animals. The smaller one was jumping around, nosing at his parents, happy now that they had full bellies. To see ordinary playfulness from an animal with such a dark reputation made Quentin’s heart swell.   “So you’ve…?” he asked Quentin.</p>
<p>Quentin sighed. “Not really. I don’t know. Sort of,” he said. It was a difficult subject to talk about, even though years had passed and he felt more in control of himself. Even as the memories that he knew he’d carry with him for the rest of his life floated to the surface and made him a bit sick to his stomach, he felt an unyielding urge to confide in Eliot. He stared at the Thestrals as they almost pranced in front of him, and before he could stop himself, words were tumbling from his lips.</p>
<p>“I wasn’t a happy kid growing up. No reason really, my parents were great, I had most everything I wanted. But I was just always… sad. When Alice came to live with us it got harder. There was a lot going on, and I don’t remember a ton, I was only eight, but everything just felt a lot… heavier. Not that it was Alice's fault or anything like that… it was just a lot of changes. And I don’t really deal with change well. Then I got my Ilvermorny letter. It was literally the best day of my life. Magic was real, and I had it. I went to my first year, and it was great. Then I came home, and everything was just... heavy again. Then second year came around, and it was good, but not as good as the first year. Then that summer after, it was… hard. Everything felt lonely and just… pointless and empty. I stayed in bed all the time, just thinking about… a lot of things that weren’t true or healthy. And I wrote down some stuff.”</p>
<p>Quentin swallowed hard and looked down at the ground, and then back up to the Thestrals. “This one night, I snuck out and climbed to the top of the water tower. I think I was hoping it would be like the tower at Ilvermorny, I don’t know. I remember sitting right on the edge and looking down. It was so far…” Quentin trailed off, seeing the drop in his mind, feeling the summer breeze on his face as a starless sky hung above him. In front of him, the Thestrals had quieted and had their eyes on him, as if they sensed the weight of the moment. </p>
<p>The feel of warm fingers grasping his hand almost startled him, as they slid around his palm and slotted between his own trembling fingers. Eliot squeezed his hand, the warmth from his palm sending a wave of comfort through Quentin’s body. He felt the storm that had been building within as he’d talked abate, his pulse slow and his breath coming a bit more evenly. He didn’t dare look at Eliot, his emotions were already scattered enough and if he looked into those hazel eyes and found them full of anything soft, he didn’t know what he’d do.</p>
<p>Quentin forced himself to focus and continue. “I didn’t … obviously I didn’t do anything. I climbed down and went home. But my dad had come to check on me, and I wasn’t there. And he found the stuff I’d written down. Since then I’ve gone to a lot of therapy and taken a lot of medication. And I’m not great but I’m good. And that’s my best guess as to why I could see them after that summer. And I’m sorry for dumping my depressing life story on you in the middle of the cold fucking forest.”</p>
<p>He hesitantly looked at Eliot, whose pale face shone with sympathy, and, Quentin was sad to see, at least a little bit of pity. “It’s not depressing,” Eliot started.</p>
<p>At Quentin’s look, he conceded, “Ok, it’s depressing. But it’s real. And I’m glad you didn’t … that you’re good now.” </p>
<p>“Thanks,” Quentin said awkwardly, not sure what else to say, because the real truth was that generally he wouldn’t call himself ‘good’ at all. But as he stood there with Eliot’s palm warming his, Quentin thought, even with the seriousness surrounding him, that he was pretty damn close to some version of ‘good.’ “Alice was real upset when she realized I could see them,” he said, just to fill the silence, and maybe prolong the moment.</p>
<p>“Yeah?” Eliot said. “She can see them?”</p>
<p>“She’s always been able to see them.”</p>
<p>“Always?” Eliot asked.</p>
<p>“Well, since we started school, I guess. When her family died, we were walking back from the library, and we could see the smoke… the house was on fire, still. When we realized it was Alice’s house, she just ran… she got so close to literally running into a burning building, but a firefighter grabbed her before she made it in. I don’t remember a lot about that day, but I remember her screams. She got so close, and the fire was still going, it seared her hair.  I’m sure that’s what triggered it.”</p>
<p>Eliot looked at the ground, frowning. “I… I didn’t realize she’d gone through that,” he said hesitantly.</p>
<p>“She’d been through more shit by the time she was a teenager than anyone should have to deal with in a lifetime,” Quentin said. The Thestrals had gone back to grazing the area, nosing around on the ground.</p>
<p>Quentin felt Eliot’s hand slide out of his as he stepped away and leaned against a nearby tree, staring at the Thestrals. He suddenly looked twenty years older as his eyes gazed heavily forward, and he crossed his arms in front of himself.</p>
<p>“So..” he started. After a moment he continued, “I know why I can see them.”</p>
<p>Quentin fully turned towards him, taking a hesitant step in his direction. “You don’t have to-”</p>
<p>“No, no,” Eliot said, waving a hand towards Quentin. “You showed me yours, I can show you mine.” He frowned, and then shook his head. “Focus, Eliot,” he whispered to himself.</p>
<p>“So, I knew about the barn door because I grew up… on a farm.” Eliot looked at Quentin as that tidbit of information hung in the air. He was surprised, as he assumed Eliot had grown up in London or some other larger city. “In the asshole of Wales. We had a sheep farm, complete with all the sheep fucking jokes that go along with it.”</p>
<p>He then quickly added, “There was never any sheep-fucking that I partook in, to be clear.”</p>
<p>Quentin nodded quickly. “I never entertained the thought.”</p>
<p>“I know this may come as a shock, but I am not really made for farm life. Especially farm life with the worst people in the world… being my family. My dad in particular. He wasn’t really very into having a son whose favorite movie was <em> The Rocky Horror Picture Show </em>.” Eliot pushed off the tree trunk, reached into his robe, and produced a pack of cigarettes. He offered one to Quentin, who took it. He lit them both with his wand, and began pacing around the clearing.</p>
<p>“There was a guy in primary school. Logan Kinnear. He… he beat me up. A few times. The only escape I had from my dad was school, and Logan made sure to ruin that for me. One afternoon when I was eleven, I was walking down the street, eating a candy bar, and I saw him… crossing over. And there was this bus coming…” Eliot trailed off as he stared into space, and Quentin knew he was replaying that day in his head. Quentin leaned against a tree trunk as he took another puff of the cigarette, the reality of what Eliot was telling him sinking in. The pieces of the Eliot puzzle were slowly fitting into place - his unhappy childhood (which he had much more right to call sad than Quentin ever did), and the tremendous amount of guilt he must be hauling around from a horrible accident that Quentin suspected he had no way to control. Quentin remained silent, waiting for Eliot to continue as he watched as Eliot nervously tapped ash from his filter.</p>
<p>“Professor Fogg told me later that young kids can sometimes make magic happen in moments of extreme emotion, but… I barely thought the thought. I knew immediately what I’d done. Logan died instantly. I got my Hogwarts letter the next day.”</p>
<p>Quentin knew his expression probably mirrored the one Eliot had for him a few minutes earlier - compassion, sympathy, and a smidge of pity. But overshadowing it all was the almost overpowering urge to wrap his arms around Eliot, set up camp in the nook between his chin and shoulder, and will the self-hatred that was just radiating off him away into the ether.</p>
<p>One of the older Thestrals, maybe having a more tame version of what Quentin had in mind, walked slowly up to Eliot. The cigarette dangling from one hand, Eliot eyed the skeletal horse as it came within an arm's length. It took another step closer, and lowered it’s head towards Eliot. Eliot cautiously reached out, and stroked down the Thestrals’ muzzle. The Thestral pushed it’s head into Eliot’s hand, nuzzling for more attention. Quentin watched the interaction with wide eyes - he’d never seen a Thestral reach out to anyone for anything beyond food, let alone to offer comfort. </p>
<p>Eliot seemed more relaxed as he pet the Thestral, his face looking less strained as he continued speaking.  “At first, I thought it was some kind of a joke. Like, the police were fucking with me before they took me in for killing Logan. But Fogg came down to my house that same week. They can detect that … level of magic from underage wizards. He didn’t tell me this at the time, as I was eleven and basically pissing my pants at the scary bald man showing up and asking for Mr. Eliot Waugh, but I wasn’t even on their radar before that.”</p>
<p>Eliot’s arm dropped from the Thestral, and the animal turned and walked back to it’s family. Eliot turned to Quentin, looking right at him. “You said the day you got your Ilvermorny letter was the happiest day of your life? The day I got my Hogwarts letter should have been mine. It was, for a while. The thought that not only did magic exist, but it was literally going to take me away from all of my troubles… it was everything I could have wanted. And I got it by killing someone.”</p>
<p>Eliot continued pacing, his cigarette almost to the nub. “You know, I tried to justify it. Years later, I still think about it every day. I can’t tell you how many times he made me think about killing myself. Besides my dad, he was the single worst person in my life. But when I did that, I became the worst person in my life.”</p>
<p>Unable to stay silent any longer, Quentin threw down his cigarette, stamping it out as he took a few steps in Eliot’s direction. “Eliot,” he started.</p>
<p>Eliot waved him away. “Don’t - don’t stand there and tell me that I didn’t mean it. Or that things will get better. There’s been plenty of time for them to get better and honestly I’ve only managed to fuck things up more.”</p>
<p>“No,” Quentin said. “No, god no.” Quentin took a few more steps towards Eliot, whose eyes darted between Quentin and the Thestrals, who were now starting to drift further into the forest. “I’m not one to tell anyone that anything will get better. But I can tell you that you’re not alone.”</p>
<p>Eliot stopped pacing and looked at Quentin. The haunted look in his eyes reminded Quentin of a wounded bird, a phoenix with clipped wings. Something so grand and magnificent weighed down by burdens that could disappear if Eliot would only stop holding onto them. Quentin took another step closer, as Eliot did as well. He was so close Quentin could smell the spicy scent of his cologne, mixed in with the acrid smell of cigarette smoke.</p>
<p>The air grew heavier as Quentin gazed up at him, and Eliot’s eyes grew softer and darker. His stare dipped down to Quentin’s lips, and he was so close Quentin could just push up on his feet and brush his lips against Eliot’s…</p>
<p>A huge screech came from a few feet away, and they sprung apart. Quentin turned to see the baby thestral rearing up, and then it suddenly turned and bolted to join it’s parents, who were walking deeper into the forest. Quentin sighed, and turned to find Eliot a few feet away, running a hand through his hair.</p>
<p>“I - um - I need to head back.” He looked at Quentin, at his feet really, gave him a short nod, and then turned and strode towards the castle, leaving Quentin alone in the clearing. Quentin sighed as he watched Eliot’s back striding away from him. It was a sight too familiar to him by now, and he felt an accompanying pang in his chest.</p>
<p>Quentin shook his head as he looked around the empty clearing. Two steps forward, three steps back. When he felt the comfortable warmth of Eliot’s hand in his, when Eliot stared down at him with dark and heated eyes, all thoughts of just a friendship with him had fled his mind. Quentin wanted nothing more than to put his hand on the back of Eliot’s neck, pull him down and wrap his tongue around Eliot’s until all painful memories had fled both their minds.</p>
<p>But that, Quentin reminded himself, was not something that was going to happen. How fast Eliot pulled away any time things got anywhere close to intimate between them was evidence enough. Not to mention that Quentin was still, and always would be, a Hufflepuff. A damning crime in Eliot’s eyes, apparently.</p>
<p>Quentin looked at the empty clearing, towards the direction where the three animals had disappeared down. “Thanks a lot!” he called out sarcastically in their direction.</p>
<p>He turned and headed back to the barn to put the animals back in their habitats before going back to his dorm. He needed his Fillory books and maybe a cuddle with Marengo before he attempted anything else that day.</p>
<p>--</p>
<p>tbc in Chapter 10: The Poker Game</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>If you’d like to skip the section speaking about suicidal thoughts/depression, stop at the paragraph where QUentin says: “I wasn’t a happy kid growing up.</p>
<p>You can start reading again after the paragraph “Unable to stay silent any longer, Quentin threw down his cigarette, stamping it out as he took a few steps in Eliot’s direction. “Eliot,” he started.”</p>
<p>In this section, Quentin describes the depression he experienced after Alice joined his family and in his first two years at Ilvermorny, which includes thoughts he wrote down and that he had when sitting at the top of the water tower in his town. Eliot speaks of his encounter that resulted in the death of Logan Kinnear, when he telekinetically moved a bus and killed him. This use of magic resulted in him getting his Hogwarts letter and a visit from Dean Fogg. There’s also some comforting hand-holding mixed in there.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>  <a href="https://tenor.com/view/eliot-the-magicians-aplausse-aplauso-irony-ironia-gif-11563395">Total First-Date-Not-A-Date Outfit </a></p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0010"><h2>10. The Poker Game</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>I know next to nothing about playing cards (unless it’s Uno!), so please forgive any mistakes made in the course of play.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <em>
    <span>Quentin</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Quentin stared at the glass, almost up on his tiptoes as he strained his neck to get as close as he could. Suddenly a huge tentacle slapped at the window, almost shaking the room as the giant squid moved past the pane.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Oh, shit!” he yelled, jerking back. Idri and Kady, seated on the couch behind him, started laughing as he almost stumbled over the end table he’d been leaning one hand on. Quentin had been shining his wand into the window, trying to get the squids attention - and she really had not liked that at all. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Hey now,” Eliot said from behind the bar. “You rile her up, I’m the one that gets woken up at 3AM by an angry squid pounding on the walls.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The four of them, along with Penny, were lounging on the dark furniture of the Slytherin common room. Well, most of them were lounging; Eliot was mixing drinks, and Quentin was trying not to fall on his ass. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He’d been surprised when Kady had asked him during breakfast that morning if he wanted to join a card game that night. “Julia said you like cards, right?” she’d questioned as she munched on her bacon. His surprise was mainly due to seeing her at breakfast, as it was the first time since break started that she’d been up before noon - he figured she was really embracing Sunderland’s recommendation to ‘relax.’</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I do like cards,” he’d told her, smiling. ‘Like’ was a bit of an understatement. He still worked on his card tricks even after getting accepted at Ilvermorny, and once there he’d played more than his fair share of poker during his fifth and sixth year. They’d only played for candy and sometimes cigarettes, and only a few times a year - but he still could have set up an all-you-can-eat buffet of pocky and smarties in the Pukwudgie common room from his winnings. He’d usually just give most of it back to whoever brought it anyway, he never could have eaten that much candy. But it was sure fun to win it.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He’d paled a bit when she told him Eliot was hosting, since his house had the fewest students staying that year (plus, of course, a fully-stocked bar). Quentin hadn’t seen him since the prior morning in the forest. He’d made the trek up to the astronomy tower last night, but had sat alone for an hour before heading back to his dorm.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>On the surface, everything seemed perfectly ordinary between them (well, better than ordinary, since ordinary consisted of a perpetual rotation between friendly and antagonistic). Eliot had greeted him just as he did Kady when they showed up at the common room door, with a nod and a short “welcome” before busying himself at the bar. He looked just as delicious as he had the morning before - his curls were a bit wild in an effortless way, and he had a grey vest over a fitted dark purple button down that was tucked into tight, skinny trousers. His tie was a dark red, or maybe it was purple, it was hard to tell in the dim lighting. Quentin watched as Eliot worked behind the bar, moving his wand fluidly, a maestro of colorful liquors and delicate glassware, torchlight flickered off the silver rings he wore- Quentin was sure he’d never seen Eliot wear jewelry before, he definitely would have noticed. He pulled himself away from staring at Eliot before he got any more lost in the movement of those elegant fingers.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Drinks appeared in everyone’s hands almost effortlessly, and Eliot seemed even more generous tonight with his liquor than the last time Quentin had been there. His first drink had tasted like vodka and orange juice, although Eliot (who was making a second round right now) had added something that turned it green. Quentin’s third drink would need to be water, at this rate. He would also need to keep his wits about him if he didn’t want to walk out of the game completely broke. Kady had told him they played for knuts and sickles, and he’d gathered some of what his parents had sent over with him to put in the pot. Idri had already changed out their coins for poker chips, and their lots sat in front of each chair at the poker table.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Quentin looked around the room as he took a seat at the round table that had appeared near the fireplace. The room was as polished and… leathery as it had been last time, although it did seem at least a bit brighter - Eliot had charmed several candles to hover over the card table, casting more light for their game. Some things hadn’t changed though - the chair Quentin was sitting in, which had to have been transfigured to fit the table, had black leather cushions and dark stained wood.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>They’d spent the first twenty minutes or so after Quentin and Kady got there, making small talk about school and Quidditch. Quentin had been vastly entertained watching Kady give Penny massive amounts of shit for the how many times he’d let Slytherin score in the last match. Gryffindor had won, but only by fifty points, even with catching the snitch.  Penny was a keeper, and Slytherin had gotten at least 100 points off his goal. Penny claimed foul play on Slytherin’s part, but Quentin could tell that he was just a shitty player. His broom control was sloppy, and he couldn’t make the quick turns he needed with how he shifted his weight in the air. Quentin could give Penny some advice to help his play… but Quentin suspected that even with their uneasy truce, Penny wouldn’t give two shits about his opinion. Plus, Quentin still didn’t mind seeing Penny taken down a notch.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Quentin was telling Kady about a letter he’d received from Alice that morning (she was excited about some light rock she’d literally pulled out of the sky - he could tell by how loopy her script had gotten when she wrote about it) when they were interrupted by the giant squid swimming by. After it scared Quentin almost off his feet, the group settled in for some poker.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Their wands were set aside on the bar at Idri’s insistence of a ‘fair game.’ Quentin appreciated the idea, but he didn’t need his wand- or any magic really, if he wanted to cheat . He'd been hiding cards in plain sight for years. Not that he had any plans to cheat, if there was one place he actually felt like he belonged, it was at the card table.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Quentin took a last glance up at the windows facing the lake, hoping to maybe see another tentacle or a big squid eye looking down on them. He only saw the green glimmer of the lake water, and he turned back to face the table.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Eliot walked over with the last of their drinks in his hands - Kady and Idri already had some kind of bourbon in short, curved glasses, and Penny a pint glass full of what Quentin hoped was bottom-shelf Firewhiskey. Eliot set down a tall, full glass in front of Quentin, and then took a seat directly across from him, setting his own martini down in front of him. Quentin picked up his glass and took a sip, surprised and pleased to find a normal Jack and Coke. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He looked up and met Eliot’s eyes. “Serious drinks for serious card players,” Eliot said, smirking as he took a sip of his own drink. Quentin smiled at the idea of a jack and coke being a ‘serious drink,’ but realized that since it wasn’t bright or sweet or had an umbrella, for him it was. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“So,” Idri started, leaning back in his chair as he shuffled a deck of cards between his hands. “What shall we play tonight? Seven card stud?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I've always wanted to try Baccarat. It is known as the most glamorous of all casino games,” Eliot said as he took a sip.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Quentin couldn’t help the snort that came from him. “Because it requires no skill whatsoever.” Maybe he should’ve stopped at the one drink, it seemed his mouth was already starting to run off without him. The look Eliot shot his way held more amusement than ire, though, so he must not have been too ruffled.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Then it must be your favorite,” Penny said to Quentin, tapping a chip against the green felt of the table. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Quentin smirked at Penny. “You ready to put your money where your mouth is?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Do you even know how to play poker?” Penny shot back, rolling his eyes.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Better than you know how to keep the Quaffle out of the scoring ring,” Quentin retorted.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He could see Kady’s mouth drop open into a surprised smile, and Eliot’s chuckle was hidden behind his martini glass. As Penny glowered at Quentin, Idri stopped tossing his cards between his hands. Then a large grin crossed his face as he said, “Look at Coldwater! Who knew all that gristle was beneath that little puppy-dog exterior?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Quentin huffed and pushed his hair behind one ear. “I am not a puppy dog,” he said, taking another sip of his drink.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I guess we’re going to find out,” Eliot said, smiling at Quentin as he considered him with new eyes. This was the first time Eliot had looked at him with such intent all night, and it only further  fueled the rare flame of confidence starting to burn within. Quentin met his eyes directly with an appraising glance. He was suddenly captured by the memory of facing down Eliot over his wand, their eyes meeting as they shared a smile, adrenaline sweeping through his body. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Look, are we going to fucking play or not?” Penny asked, crossing his arms.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“How about Texas Hold ‘Em? For our American friend,” Idri said, now earnestly shuffling the deck. “Joker’s wild.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I’m not from Texas?” Quentin said as Idri started to deal.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I thought every state was Texas,” Kady said as she peaked at the two cards Idri had set down in front of her. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“That makes no sense,” Quentin told her as he considered the cards in his hand. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Hogwarts really needs to think about adding in a basic geography course,” Eliot said as he pushed his first bet forward.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Hold up,” Kady said, setting her cards down. She walked over and grabbed her wand, and began casting what looked to Quentin like a modified shield charm - or maybe it was a muffling charm? He watched as Kady finished her incantation, muttering so softly he couldn’t hear the words. Quentin felt a magical shell descend on the group, similar  to the ones that he typically associated with a muffling charm. He saw Penny roll his eyes, and Kady smiled as she set down her wand and returned to the table.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“You didn’t think I’d forget, did you?” she asked Penny, as she picked up her cards.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Quentin saw Eliot smirking, and caught his eyes. Noting Quentin’s confused look, Eliot said, “Some of us have trouble staying out of others heads during the game -” he nodded towards Penny, who was focused on his hand - “so we use a charm to muffle our… mental broadcasting, so we don’t all have to go through an Occlumency lesson before we allow them to play.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Quentin nodded, making a mental note to ask Kady about the charm as he looked at Penny out the side of his eye (who didn’t look the least bit ashamed of himself). It sounded like one Quentin could use...</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The game started tentatively, with small bets as they figured each other out. Well, as Quentin figured them out - he could see that poker nights were probably a regular thing with this group. Quentin won more hands than he lost, and as he watched how each player read their cards, he grew more confident with his bets as he figured out who could actually bluff.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Kady was shit at it. Quentin could tell she thought she had game, and maybe to players like Idri,  who could bluff but clearly couldn’t read others, she did. But Quentin determined that every time she squinted at her cards she had a good hand. Penny was all pursed lips and nervous fingers, tapping his cards or the table. The corners of his mouth would perk up any time he thought he was holding something even remotely decent.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Eliot, though… he was a mystery. Which, Quentin already knew, but he had thought that surely there would be some crack in his mask of indifference, despite the years Quentin suspected Eliot had spent perfecting it. For every hand dealt, Quentin kept close attention to Eliot’s mouth, eyes, hands… all purely for the sake of the game. Beyond looking supremely bored, even when he received a hand that would ultimately build into a full house, Quentin spotted no tells from the man. His posture was relaxed, his eyes dulled a bit by the alcohol but still alert, even when they would meet Quentin’s across the table.  </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>After an hour, Quentin and Eliot’s piles of chips were substantially larger than the others at the table. Idri and Penny were on their last chips, while Kady had only slightly more than them in front of her.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Penny threw his cards down on the table in disgust. “Fuck this. I’m out.” He shoved his chair away from the table and stalked over to the bar, grabbing a glass.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Everything better be where I expect it to be when I go back there,” Eliot called across to Penny, who responded with a middle finger held high in Eliot’s direction.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Idri sighed, and pushed his chair back as well. “I’m afraid I’m tapped out as well,” he said. He turned to Quentin, looking at him as if for the first time. “There is certainly more to you than it appears at first glance, Quentin.” Eliot’s eyes slid over to Idri, a small frown creasing his face.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Quentin, arranging his chips into little piles, wasn’t sure whether to be insulted or pleased.  “Thanks?” he responded. Summing up his piles, Quentin estimated he had just under four galleon’s in front of him - which was over double what he’d walked in with.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Sitting up straighter in his chair, Eliot leaned forward. “Go again?” he asked Quentin. Quentin looked back at Eliot, surprised to see that the neutral expression he’d worn all night had slipped a bit. His eyes shined with a new excitement as he shuffled the deck between his hands. He had loosened his tie sometime while they played, and the collar of his shirt gaped open slightly, allowing a peek at his sharp collarbones. His sleeves were pushed up, revealing toned forearms, and Quentin watched as Eliot’s fingers slid around the cards.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>A wave of heat swept through Quentin’s body, and he smirked as he met Eliot’s gaze. That same electricity that he’d felt months ago in this very same room and the morning before in the forest returned, and he saw that same intensity in Eliot that he’d seen in the Dark Arts classroom a few weeks ago. “As many times as you want,” Quentin responded, shifting in his seat. His heart cut a little flip in his chest as Eliot smiled, really smiled back at him, and shuffled the deck in earnest.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Um. Hello? I’ll play again, too,” Kady said from her chair. Quentin nodded at her - he totally hadn’t forgotten she was there as soon as Eliot focused on him. Eliot quickly dealt out the cards, and they each pushed forward a bet.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Quentin eyed his hand - Eliot had dealt him a ten of hearts and a two of spades, which was ok, but not amazing to start with. He looked over at Eliot, whose mask had again slid into place. Quentin could tell that Eliot sensed his eyes on him, and that he was fighting to keep that indifferent look in place. Deciding to see if he could push him a bit, Quentin quirked an eyebrow in Eliot’s direction. “Good cards?” he asked, tapping his fingers on the table.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Wouldn’t you like to know?” Eliot asked as he lost the battle to his smirk. He then pushed forward enough chips to cover half a galleon. “I’ll bet,” he said.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Fighting to keep his own expression neutral, Quentin pushed forward enough chips to cover a half galleon. “I’ll call.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Kady’s eyebrows raised at the bet, and she looked at her chips. “Fuck it. Call.” She pushed forward her own bet.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Eliot dealt out three cards - a ten of clubs, two of hearts, and a king of diamonds. This gave Quentin at least two pair, with the possibility of three of a kind or a full house, depending on what else hit the table at the next turn. Quentin felt his pulse speed up, and he fought to keep his face neutral. He felt his leg start to bounce under the table, and he forced himself to keep his body relaxed.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I’ll raise,” Quentin said, pushing forward enough chips to cover a galleon. Keeping one eye on Eliot, Quentin swore he saw his face pale a bit.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Kady exhaled hard. “I fucking fold,” She threw her cards down and crossed her arms in front of her chest. Behind her, Idri and Penny watched silently as the two boys faced off across the table.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Eliot remained silent, contemplating his cards. Then, “I’ll call.” He pushed forward enough chips to cover the bet.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Eliot then dealt a fourth card - a ten of spades. Quentin now for sure had a full house - the only thing that could beat it would be a full house with higher cards, four or five of a kind, or a straight flush. Quentin kept his eyes on Eliot, looking for any quirk of the eyebrow, flush of color, even a goddamn lip twitch that would give away his thoughts. But as always, Eliot was a steel cage. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Until he glanced up and saw the intensity with which Quentin was watching him. Eliot’s eyes darkened, and Quentin felt his dick spasm in his pants as Eliot’s tongue darted out to wet his lips. The rest of the room fell away, and it was only he and Eliot, just a few feet away from each other across a table under candle and torchlight.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Quentin shifted forward a bit in his seat. “I’ll check.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>This time, Eliot’s lips did twitch - the corner of his mouth peaked downward just a bit before sliding back into a thin line. “I’ll raise.” Eliot pushed forward enough chips to cover another galleon.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Quentin heard a sharp inhale from Kady’s side of the table. His eyes never left Eliot though, as he took in the Slytherin’s expression - bright, clever eyes evaluating, constantly judging him, Quentin knew in more ways than just what mattered for a poker game. He felt as if he was staring down a long tunnel, and the light at the end was fueled by a flame that Eliot was fanning into a roaring inferno.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Call,” Quentin said, pushing forward his chips. He now had around three galleons in the pot, and just under one enough left in front of him. But he felt it in his bones - Eliot was bluffing. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Quentin felt heat pooling in his core, his cock reacting to just how much he was into this. Judging by the darkness in Eliot’s eyes, and how he adjusted himself in his seat, Quentin wasn’t alone. Quentin registered soft voices in the room, but he didn’t really care to focus on what they were saying.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Quentin watched Eliot’s throat bob as he dealt the next card - a joker. Well shit.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Quentin ran through the possibilities in his mind - they were using one deck, and with Kady pulling out early, there were so many possibilities as to what Eliot held in his hand. It all came down to what he thought Eliot held. And, as he stared at the beautiful face that had been twisted in sorrow and self-hatred the day before, he realized that he really didn’t care if he won or not. What he did care about was the puzzle that was Eliot Waugh - and it suddenly hit him just how desperate he was to solve it. He felt his eyes soften as Eliot contemplated his cards, and then he saw surprise, and then that same softness register on Eliot’s face when he met Quentin’s eyes. The two boys stared at each other over the table, and an image of Quentin shoving the table over before launching himself onto Eliot bubbled up in his brain. And he really liked that image, as the action happening below his belt could attest to.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The not-so-subtle clearing of a throat off to the side brought Quentin back to reality - which had three other people in the room with them. He could hear Penny scoff and mutter, “Get a fucking room.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Eliot broke eye contact and looked at his chips, and then expectantly at Quentin.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Oh, right. Quentin needed to bet. He set his cards facedown, and pushed forward everything he had in front of him. “I’ll call.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He heard Idri give a low whistle. Quentin had eyes only for Eliot, though, who looked at the bet, and then at his own chips.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I’ll call. And raise you.” He pushed forward everything he had as well, which matched Quentin’s bet, and added in about half another galleon.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Really?” Quentin said, his eyebrows in his hairline. “Your cards that good?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Only one way to find out,” Eliot said, leaning back in his chair, a confident smirk on his face.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Quentin frowned at his chips. He hadn’t brought more than what was on the table with him, but suddenly the chips he needed appeared in front of him. He looked over, and Kady was shoving her pile over to him. He smiled gratefully at her, and she rolled her eyes. He could only imagine the report Julia would be getting after tonight.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I’ll call,” Quentin said, adding in enough of Kady’s chips to match Eliot’s bet. “What do you have?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Eliot held his two cards in his hand, and he and Quentin shared a look. Quentin could see Eliot fighting to stop the smile from spreading over his face, and he opened his mouth to say -</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He was cut off by the common room door slamming open. Everyone in the room jumped in their seat, as they turned to see Professor Mayakovsky sweeping into the room. All of the air seemed to vanish in an instant, and Quentin felt his stomach drop to the floor. He swallowed hard as he looked quickly to Eliot, whose face had fallen into a frown. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“What the fuck is this?” Mayakovsky said as he sauntered over to the table. “Poker? In my common room?” With nary a flick of his wand, all of the cards on the table flew into a stack in Mayakovsky’s waiting hand… including the ones Quentin and Eliot had been holding. The professor looked at the large pile of chips in the middle of the table. "Oh, did I interrupt your illegal gambling at a bad time?"</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Eliot sighed, sitting back in his chair. Quentin felt as if a bucket of cold water had been thrown on him, and he blinked as he looked around the room. The worried faces of Kady, Penny, and Idri came into focus, as well as… an entirely blank bar. Looking at the table, Quentin saw that his drink glass had disappeared. He blinked at the empty spot on the table, wondering if the liquor was charmed to disappear whenever a faculty member walked in.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“You know that gambling is not allowed on campus,” the professor said as he grasped the back of an empty chair at the table. “You could all be expelled for this.” He looked around the table, giving each student their own individual glower.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Quentin exhaled a deep breath as he put his trembling hands in his lap. Mayakovsky may have a lot of faults, but he was proving very effective at one thing - Quentin had never had a boner die so fast in his life. Quentin suddenly saw his short stint at Hogwarts end before his eyes, imagined going home to New Jersey, begging Ilverymorny to take him back while his parents looked on in disappointment. Quentin met Eliot’s eyes, and he saw his worry reflected there - even more so, since Quentin at least enjoyed being at his home.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“However,” the professor said, yanking Quentin’s attention back to him as he pulled out the chair and took a seat.  “This one time only. I will look the other way.” The professor shuffled the cards between his hands. “Provided you deal me in for a few rounds.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Quentin’s mouth dropped at the professor’s words. He looked to Eliot, who gaped back at him, and then to Kady, whose expression was moving from astonishment to relief. Idri and Penny dropped into their seats at the table; both looking as shell-shocked as Quentin felt. Relief flowed through Quentin’s veins, although his brain told him he shouldn’t be secure in anything from Mayakovsky until the day he graduated from Hogwarts.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“You,” Mayakovsky said, looking at Eliot. “Bring me vodka. Straight.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Eliot, for once, appeared at a loss. His mouth opened and closed, and then we stammered, “Uh, well, we don’t have -”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Fuck off,” Mayakovsky interrupted. With a wave of his hand, the entire liquor collection appeared, including the empty glasses scattered on the table and around the room. “You think you can hide anything from me?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Eliot cleared his throat, and then crossed to the bar to make Mayakovsky his drink. The rest of the students looked at each other, the table, the ceiling, anywhere but at the professor who could effectively end their time at Hogwarts with one word to the Headmaster.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Mayakovsky stopped shuffling as he stared at the bar. He let out a guffaw, and then said, “Is that your wands?” He looked at Kady, and then Quentin. “You’re playing an… </span>
  <em>
    <span>honest </span>
  </em>
  <span>game of poker?” The words were rolled in such contempt Quentin was surprised they didn’t burst into flame once they hit the air.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>At no response, he rolled his eyes. “Accio wands!” All five wands flew to the poker table, spread out in front of the students. Eliot returned and set a small glass full of clear liquid in front of Mayakovsky.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The professor took a sip as he looked at their wands. Quentin saw his own holly wand on the end, three others that he assumed belonged to Kady, Irdi, and Penny, all in similar length to his. Then there was Eliot’s - made of ash, with a good two inches or so on the other wands. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Retrieve your wand,” the professor said. “Keep it in your pocket. I”ll teach you how to make sure you win every game.” The students reached in and grabbed their wands, saving them in their robes. Eliot stood and retrieved his wand holster, strapping it on before he secured his wand. Quentin watched him out of the corner of his eye, trying not to ogle as Eliot’s fingers secured each buckle.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Five card,” Mayakovsky said as he shuffled. “Wild cards are for pussies.” He then dealt five to each student.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>As the professor went on to talk about nonverbal transfiguration technique and probability and what the fuck ever, Quentin met Eliot’s eyes across the table. The corner of his mouth perked up, and he saw Eliot’s do the same in response. Their gazes remained on each other as Mayakovsky spoke until he felt a nudge on his shin. His gaze darted over to Kady, who made a distinct look at the cards and Mayakovsky, as if to silently say </span>
  <em>
    <span>Don’t piss him off and get us all expelled</span>
  </em>
  <span>. He nodded at her, and focused on the professor.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Quentin would find out what cards Eliot was holding. As his eyes slid over to Eliot for just another quick glance, he could tell from the look of promise in Eliot’s eyes that he’d enjoy the answer.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>--</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Quentin overslept and missed breakfast the next morning. Only when Marengo burrowed under the covers and started licking at his legs to feed her did he finally drag himself out of bed. His head was pounding, and he downed a quick hangover potion before getting dressed. It was a fitting start to his Christmas Eve, he supposed.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>They’d stayed in the common room, getting tutored on how to magically cheat at cards from Mayakovsky until well past midnight. In between the lessons on how to non verbally transfigure a card in your opponent's hand and how to mark the back of each card to tell you what suit it was, Mayakovsky would remind them that he could expel them at any time for his amusement. By the time Quentin had stumbled back to his common room, tired and tipsy on what Mayakovsky called the only “good vodka in Scotland,” his worries over what the professor may do to them had all but vanished. He got the distinct impression Mayakovsky had gotten more pleasure out of teaching them how to cheat at cards than he had in leading any Defense Against the Dark Arts class. Well, with the possible exception of dueling day.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Plus, if he did actually try to expel them, Quentin was pretty sure that having his students conduct a taste test of various brands of vodka would probably be enough to get the teacher fired too. Probably...</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Quentin knew he would see no difference in how the professor treated him in class. But he did see a new gleam of respect in Mayakovsky’s eye when he showed him that he didn’t need magic to switch the cards in his hand. Penny had become a little enraged when he saw how deftly Quentin could maneuver the cards without the use of magic, accusing him of cheating. He’d shut up after Quentin had pointed out that Penny lost most of his money to Kady and not to Quentin.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>After making sure Marengo had gotten plenty of kibble and pets, he snacked on some of his candy from his last Hogsmeade trip (breakfast of champions) to hold him over until lunch. Then he lounged in the common room, where he spent over an hour trying to convince Marengo that the Christmas tree that had sprung up overnight was NOT there for her enjoyment. He eventually had to give up, knowing that she’d be back in the branches as soon as he walked out the common room door. He was pretty sure the tree was charmed so it wouldn’t tip over, but he guessed he’d find out when he returned.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>After a quick lunch, where he saw Idri looking much like he felt earlier that morning, he headed to the owlery to send off Alice's Christmas gifts. They had talked about exchanging them before she left, but Quentin had wanted her to have something to open on the day - if he couldn’t be with her in person, he wanted to make sure she knew he was thinking of her. He’d gotten her a copy of </span>
  <em>
    <span>The Last Unicorn</span>
  </em>
  <span> graphic novel, and a necklace with a silver eagle charm, for Ravenclaw. Gerald eyed Quentin skeptically as he shrunk and secured the package to the owl's foot.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I promise Alice will reward you handsomely for carrying this all the way to Norway,” he told the owl, offering the treats he’d brought with him. Gerald hooted once more before flying off. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Quentin had given Kady Julia's gift to be sent along with hers - he'd gotten Julia a little enchanted snowglobe that had the Winter’s Doe from Fillory inside it. When you shook it up, snowflakes fell within both the globe and whatever room you were standing in.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Now Quentin was sitting in the library, thumbing through an old transfiguration text. He didn’t really want to spend any time on break studying, but he was hoping to get a headstart on human transfiguration - the next term would be intense, and Quentin could use all the help he could get.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He sat alone at a table, one foot perched up on his chair as he rested his chin on his knee. Alice often made fun of his tendency to twist himself into a pretzel when he sat in a chair, but whatever, he was comfortable. And there was no one else in the library except for Madame Zelda, who could care less how he sat  as long as he put everything back in place before he left.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The silence was broken by the door to the library opening roughly, and Quentin's eyes widened as Eliot came striding in. He looked like he was still feeling the night before too - his hair was mussed, as though he’d run his hands through it several times. He was wearing a red and blue striped polo, with a beige collar that was askew, and skinny red suspenders attached to his tight blue trousers. His robe wasn’t fastened, the green Slytherin crest on the front clashing horribly with the rest of his outfit. His eyes moved quickly around the library, as if he was searching for something. His wand was held loosely in his hand, twirling it between his fingers. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>As soon as Eliot spotted Quentin, he stopped in his tracks a few tables away. He looked down at Quentin, his expression troubled as he searched Quentin’s face, with such intensity Quentin felt his cheeks grow warm under the scrutiny.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Quentin straightened up in his seat as he stared back at Eliot. After a few more moments of Eliot just staring at him with the most befuddled look on his face, Quentin ventured forth with a confused, “Eliot?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Eliot continued to look at him, swallowing hard. He clutched his wand with both hands now, twisting it so intensely Quentin was half-worried he’d break it.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Uh… you wanna sit down?” Quentin asked, lowering his foot from its perch on his chair to the floor.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Eliot just continued to look at Quentin, his hazel eyes a storm of emotions - Quentin could see, worry, confusion, determination, and just a bit of excitement all warring within him. Then suddenly Eliot broke Quentin’s gaze, looking down at the book in front of him.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Getting a head start on studying?” he asked, nodding to the table.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Quentin stared at Eliot, looked down at the book, and then back up to Eliot. “Uh, yeah. I guess?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Good. That's very… smart of you,” Elot said, nodding back. His eyes darted back and forth from Quentin, to the shelves, to the floor, and back around again. He turned, paced a few steps away, and then faced Quentin again. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Eliot, again, had Quentin at a loss. What the fuck was going on? “Do you… need a book?” he asked Eliot.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Eliot chuckled, looking down at his wand clutched in his hands, and then back up to Quentin. “Uh, no,” he said. He cleared his throat, and then looked solemnly at Quentin.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Quentin looked expectantly at Eliot, as a sudden tension arose in the air. Eliot opened his mouth, just as Zelda came into the library, pulling a cart behind her.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Hello, Eliot!” she said, smiling, releasing the cart and raising her hands up in that dainty manner she always had. “Joining Quentin for some studying?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Eliot stood up straighter, shoving his wand into his robe. “Uh, no, Madame Zelda. Thank you.” He then walked towards the door, having to maneuver around the librarian and her cart. There wasn’t quite enough room for him to squeeze between the cart and the shelf, and instead of going around the shelf, he shoved over the cart, knocking over several of the books that were stacked on it to the floor.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Oh, shit. Fuck!” he said, as he grabbed for a few as they fell. Quentin stood up to go over and help, and Eliot glanced back at him almost desperately. “I’m sorry,” he told Madame Zelda. He then shoved the books he’d picked up haphazardly back onto the cart, and then practically sprinted from the library.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Quentin watched him go, completely perplexed. Madame Zelda turned to Quentin, a mirroring expression of confusion on her face. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Quentin, what on earth have you done to poor Mr. Waugh?” she asked him, frowning.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I have no idea,” Quentin said, still staring at the library doors.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>--</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>That night, Christmas Eve, just after 10PM, Quentin climbed the winding staircase to the Astronomy Tower. A light snow was falling, leaving a white layer building up on the tower floor. Quentin cast a warming spell on himself as he stepped out into the dark night. He then stared up at the dark sky, the waxing moon shining down between the clouds.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Nice view,” said a voice behind him.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Quentin jumped, whirling around to see Eliot sitting on a dark green and silver striped blanket that was starting to show wet spots from the falling snow. His eyes sparkled as he looked up at Quentin, his head leaning back against the tower wall. With an easy smile gracing his face and the moonlight reflecting a sort of halo of snowflakes settling into his dark curls, Quentin thought he had never looked more beautiful.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Hey!” Quentin said, unable to stop the stupid grin from spreading across his face. “What are you doing up here?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Like I said, enjoying the view,” Eliot responded. “Wanna join me?” he asked, nodding towards the empty spot on the blanket next to him.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Quentin settled in next to Eliot,  just as he had a few nights before. His pulse had spiked as soon as he’d seen Eliot behind him, and now that he was again just a few inches from him, it felt as though a sledgehammer was about to burst through his chest. He hadn’t seen Eliot since that really odd encounter earlier that day in the library, despite taking a turn or two around the castle after dinner. He couldn’t really hide it anymore - he’d come up here just to see if maybe Eliot would be around. He hadn’t even brought anything to smoke. And here he was - it had to mean something, right?</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Not knowing what to say, Quentin just looked up at the sky. Thin clouds were slowly crawling across the landscape, hiding and revealing sparkling stars like some kind of celestial game of peek-a-boo.  After a moment he noticed Eliot was shivering. He frowned, asking him, “Did your warmth charm run out?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Eliot gave him a rueful smile. “You mean the one you never got around to showing me?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Oh, shit,” Quentin said. He pulled out his wand, and said, “Ok, well no time like the present.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He walked Eliot through the motions, and within a minute Eliot was settling back and stretching out his legs. Quentin also threw up a modified Impervius charm, creating a bubble around them that protected them from the falling snow.  “How long have you been up here in the cold?” he asked, putting his wand back in his robe.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Not long,” Eliot said. “It only just started to snow.” Eliot looked at the top of the bubble, where a few flakes had started to gather.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“It’s still well below freezing,” Quentin said.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Eliot shrugged, looking out at the grounds. “The cold doesn’t bother me.” A silence settled over them, but it was anything but peaceful - it felt very loud to Quentin, as though all the words they weren’t saying were clanging just outside of the shield he’d crafted, clawing to get in. Eliot was tense next to Quentin, as if he were about to burst at any moment, with what, Quentin had no idea. After another second where Quentin felt he may be the one to explode, he couldn't take it anymore.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“So, earlier today, in the library,” Quentin started. Eliot turned to face him, shifting a few inches closer, so their shoulders were almost touching. Quentin lost his train of thought for a moment as Eliot was suddenly </span>
  <em>
    <span>right there</span>
  </em>
  <span>. “Um. Were you ok? You seemed really-”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He was cut off as Eliot suddenly surged forward, stopping when his face was so close to Quentin’s that only a whisper separated their lips. Quentin froze as he looked at Eliot, their breath mingling in the frosty air. Quentin’s left hand had been resting on the blanket between them, and he felt Eliot’s palm move to rest on top of it. Quentin felt suspended in time, the shell of the shield encasing them inside their own little snowglobe, even if the only snowflakes existed on the outside of it. It only took the slightest effort for Quentin to push forward and close the gap between them.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Eliot’s lips were cold as they pressed against his, tentative at first. Quentin’s mind went blissfully blank - the only sensations he registered were the sweet pressure of Eliot's mouth on his, the spicy scent of cinnamon and bourbon, and a soft sigh that hummed in the cold air. He shuddered as the heat that he’d felt so many times before warmed him from within as his tongue flicked out to taste Eliot’s lips. Eliot opened for him instantly, deepening the kiss as Quentin’s free hand slid up to Eliot’s neck, to cradle his cheek. Eliot wrapped his arm around Quentin’s waist, pulling him in closer.  Quentin pulled away the hand that had been holding Eliot's and reached up to finally fulfill his fantasy of burying his fingers in those dark curls. They were just as soft as he’d imagined.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Quentin wasn’t sure how long that first kiss went on, or the second, or the third. He was only cognizant of the moans that he pulled from Eliot’s throat, the feeling of Eliot’s fingers clutching at his arms or tugging at his hair, the gentle scratch of Eliot’s scruff against his skin as Eliot’s lips traveled down his throat. As his own hands traveled under Eliot’s cloak, pulling the bottom of his shirt from where it had been tucked into his pants, sliding his palms up the warm skin of Eliot’s back, he knew they should probably take a beat. Have a word, a sentence, maybe even a discussion, but talking was the absolutely last thing he felt like doing. Not after months of wondering, dreaming, fantasizing, about this moment. All he wanted to do was live in it.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Out of the corner of his eye, Quentin dimly registered a flashing light in the sky. He ignored it, pulling Eliot’s head from where it had been latched onto Quentin’s neck back up to his face, licking into Eliot’s mouth as Eliot practically growled, gently pushing Quentin onto his back on the blanket and covering Quentin’s body with his own. The sky lit up again, almost as if there was a forcefield around Hogwarts that was being disturbed.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Then, Quentin realized through the passion-induced fog in his brain, there </span>
  <em>
    <span>was </span>
  </em>
  <span>a force field around Hogwarts - the heavy wards that surrounded the grounds. They lit up again, a brilliant blue criss-cross of lines and symbols and magic, then the sky returned back to it’s dark, cloudy palette.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“El,” Quentin whispered, pulling his face away from Eliot, meaning to nudge him to attention, but instead closing his eyes and moaning as he felt delicious friction on his cock from Eliot grinding against him. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Q,” Eliot panted, snaking a hand up the front of Quentin’s shirt, running his lithe fingers up Quentin’s stomach, to his chest.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The wards flashed again - and then, as a loud blast, a breaking sound that felt almost as if the universe itself had cracked open wide, then disappeared completely. Eliot jerked up at the sound, staring out at the sky. Distantly below them, they could hear voices floating up from the ground - people yelling.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“What’s going on?” Eliot said, looking around. </span>
  <span></span>
    <br/>
  
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>“I - I don’t know,” Quentin said. He had a hysterical thought that Santa Claus had been denied entrance to the school and was forcing his way in, when he realized that the reality was most likely a bit more nefarious. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>They were staring dumbly out at the sky when suddenly, a silver seal soared up in front of the tower, and then dipped down to hover in front of them. Quentin gaped at the patronus when it’s mouth opened, and Mayakovsky’s russian accent was heard over the rush of blood in his ears.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Get your asses to the Great Hall!” the seal barked. “We’re under attack, dipshits.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>--</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>tbc in Chapter 11: The Confession (Part I)</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>
  <a href="https://imgur.com/E9qM2TW">Distressed Eliot</a>
</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0011"><h2>11. The Confession (Part I)</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Posting this a day early- next update will be on Tuesday, Sept 8.</p>
<p>Here is how our little disaster has been wearing his hair so far in this story (trust me, this is important): <a href="https://i.imgur.com/VpPl69y.jpg"> The cutest</a></p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <em>
    <span>Quentin</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>It turned out that ‘under attack’ was a bit of an overstatement, as Quentin would come to find out later that night. At the patronus’s words, he had imagined an immense wizard army storming the castle, which was decidedly not the case.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Immediately after Mayakoysky's seal faded away, Quentin and Eliot gaped at the empty spot it left behind, and then jumped to their feet. Adrenaline coursing through his veins, Quentin had whipped out his wand, pointing it inside the dark tower while adapting the wide-legged offensive stance he’d used during their duel. From the corner of his eye, Quentin saw Eliot edge to the railing of the tower, peering down to the snowy ground below.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I don’t see anyone down there anymore,” Eliot said, frowning. He also had his wand in his hand, although it hung loosely down at his side instead of primed and ready as Quentin’s was. He let out a chuckle as he turned and saw Quentin, ready to take on whatever army may be on their way. “I doubt we’re in any real trouble, Quentin.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Quentin turned to face him, still keeping his wand aloft and pointed towards the dark staircase. “We should go?” he asked.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Eliot moved towards Quentin, stepping in front of him. “Follow behind me,” he said. “I know these corridors like the back of my hand.”  He started forward, but stopped and turned back to Quentin after a few steps. Quentin looked up at him questioningly.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Eliot gazed down at him, and the memories of what they had been doing just minutes before suddenly flooded Quentin’s mind. He could still feel the whisper of those hands on his body, the first electric brush of Eliot’s mouth against his. Quentin’s gaze dropped down to Eliot’s lips, which were parted slightly as he looked at Quentin. Eliot seemed to sway closer, a welcome invasion to Quentin’s space. Then he pulled back and straightened up, clearing his throat. “Be as quiet as you can,” he whispered to Quentin.Then he turned and softly started down the tower stairs. Quentin nodded at Eliot’s back (which he was sure appreciated the confirmation), and followed closely behind him.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>They slinked away from the tower, down the dark corridors to the Great Hall, wands in front of them, ready for trouble at every corner, preparing for a battle at any moment... and finding only amused portraits giggling at their distress. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“There’s not actually any intruders in the castle right now,” the painted image of Edessa Skanderberg staunchly informed them as they tip-toed down the dark corridor to the entrance of the great hall. His shoulders hunched forward as Quentin ran through his mental catalog of every defensive spell he’d ever learned. “You look rather silly.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Quentin had ignored the former Headmistress, focusing on the path ahead. He nearly ran into Eliot when he stopped short - Nearly Headless Nick had popped into view, passing through the wall in front of them.  </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“This way, lads!” He gestured down the corridor, his nearly severed head bobbing a bit in his excitement. “Chased them all the way out of the castle! They were in the Headmaster’s office, going through his closet! I’ll say, I cannot believe the nerve. Breaking into Hogwarts! They’re lucky Peeves couldn’t catch them, otherwise they would be ghosts right along with me!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Quentin and Eliot followed Nick to the Great Hall. Despite the hour, the hall was lit up, excited conversations bouncing off the walls. He saw Kady, Penny, and Idri all sitting at one of the tables. The rest of the students staying at the castle over break were scattered around the room, seeking out friends and information about what could have brought them all down here at this hour. Professors Sunderland and Mayakovsky, along with Madame Zelda, were standing on the other side of the room next to one of the Christmas trees, involved in what looked to be a tense conversation.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>As it had for the past few weeks, the Great Hall twinkled from every corner, with twelve fir trees scattered around the room. Each one had glittering lights and colored ornaments, but every tree had its own personality that reflected the teacher that decorated it. Professor Sunderland’s tree was classy, all maroon bows and gold bulbs, with a shiny golden star on top. Professor Bax’s tree reflected his love of Herbology - instead of ornaments, it featured blooms from various flowers around the world, frozen and shining in all colors of the rainbow. And then there was Mayakovsky’s tree - which held its own kind of sparkle. The lights on the tree had a muted glow, and upon closer inspection one could see that each bulb resided inside its own tiny liquor bottle. Riddled with colored ornaments that depicted miniature nesting dolls and russian domes, along with a few glass fox ornaments and brass mini krampus bells, the tree was surprisingly elegant, if rather eccentric. It was topped by a gorgeous glass snake figurine, with glowing emerald eyes and a little Santa hat perched on top of it’s snarling head.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Most students were in their pajamas, some with enough bedhead to indicate they had been pulled from a deep slumber. Kady was still in her street clothes, and Penny had just a maroon sweater and pajama pants pulled on. The sweater was designed to lay open all the way to his navel, and he wore no shirt under it, revealing his toned bare chest.  Quentin couldn’t imagine he was very warm. Penny didn’t appear to be bothered by his lack of clothing, as he smirked at Quentin and Eliot.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Took you long enough. You missed all the excitement.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Yeah, where were you two?” Kady asked, raising an eyebrow. “You weren’t in any of the common rooms. Funny how Mayakovsky only sent his patronus for Eliot but it found both of you.” She punctuated the sentence with a knowing smirk.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Quentin didn’t know how to respond, but Eliot was already talking. “I ran into Quentin on my way out of the dungeons. What happened?” He sat down on the bench next to Kady.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Quentin sat down next to him, ignoring the lump that formed in his throat at Eliot’s lie. He didn’t expect him to broadcast the fact that they’d been making out on top of the Astronomy Tower, but there was no reason to completely cut out the fact that they’d been together. Unless Eliot was ashamed of it...</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Quentin forced himself to focus on what Kady was saying. “I was in my dorm room  when Sunderland burst in and made everyone go to the Great Hall. They’re not saying much, but it looks like someone broke into the school.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Penny was staring intently at the teachers, his eyes narrowed and the knuckles of one hand pressed against his lips. Quentin glanced at the professors, just in time to see Sunderland suddenly turn and shoot Penny a look that would melt flesh. Penny’s eyes widened and he quickly turned away from the teachers.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Kady looked at him. “Get anything?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Besides detention? Not much. Someone did break in, and made it to Fogg’s office. They don’t know what they took, but they were in his storage closet, which doesn’t have anything of value. They couldn’t see who they were, just that they had the figures of a man and a woman - they had some kind of charm that blurred their appearance.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Quentin’s brow furrowed. How could anyone get past the Hogwarts wards? He’d read they were among the best in the world. And why go to all that trouble just to go through Fogg’s closet?</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Was that the loud ass noise when they broke in?” Eliot asked, leaning his forearms on the table. Quentin swallowed as he recalled the feeling of those arms wrapped around him, just moments ago. Penny suddenly quirked an eyebrow at him, an expression that was half amusement, half irritation on his face. Quentin avoided his gaze and mentally berated himself. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Focus, Quentin</span>
  </em>
  <span>.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“No, I actually think that was when they left,” Idri said. All eyes turned to him - he was wearing a maroon and gold striped Gryffindor pajama set, making stiff polyester look way more attractive than it had any right to. “I had been coming back from the kitchens when the portraits started freaking out, and Peeves came blazing down the corridor yelling about a siege. Zelda and Mayakovsky chased them out of the castle, and there was some kind of fight outside that wound up blowing a hole in the wards.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“They blew a hole in the wards?” Quentin asked, astonished. He didn’t know such a thing was possible. He could see Kady next to him, leaning forward on the table, just as eager as Quentin was to hear more.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Something did,” Idri said. “There were spells flying back and forth - I tried to go outside to help but Mayakovsky threw some shield or barrier up to keep me in the castle. He and Zelda came back not too long after the wards collapsed - I think Zelda sent a message to Fogg while Mayakovsky fixed the damage and Sunderland rounded everyone up.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Quentin and Eliot exchanged a look, brows furrowed. “Damn!” Kady said, leaning back off the table. “The one night I decide to stay in and actually fucking write to Julia.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Quentin smirked at Kady. “Well it is Christmas Eve. I’m sure Julia will be happy to wake up to your letter.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Christmas Eve,” Eliot murmured. “Good time to try to break in - when hardly anyone’s here, except the social misfits.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Penny opened his mouth to respond (Quentin was sure to refute his social misfit status) when the doors to the Great Hall burst fully open, and Headmaster Fogg came striding in. He was dressed more formally than usual, in a sleek dark suit and an elegant robe that probably cost more than Quentin’s entire wardrobe. His face, normally stoic and neutral, displayed irritation and worry reflected in his dark eyes.  He moved past the students, to the faculty members clustered together. Quentin wasn’t sure where the Headmaster had been, but since it was a holiday, Quentin assumed he was visiting family.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>All eyes were on the staff members as they had a quiet discussion, frequently glancing at the students. The hall fell silent as soon as Fogg had entered, and hardly a whisper could be heard as the faculty spoke rapidly. Nearly Headless Nick hovered around them, muttering about how he hadn’t seen such disrespect to the Hogwarts grounds since some war years ago.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>After what felt like an hour but was probably just five minutes, Headmaster Fogg finally walked up to the students, clearing his throat. “Apologies for pulling you from your beds, those of you that were in them,” he started, giving a pointed look in Quentin’s direction. Quentin felt his face drain of color as he looked to the floor. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see Eliot giving an almost proud grin to the headmaster.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“But we have had an… attempted robbery here at the school. They did break into my office, and it is unclear what may be missing. We do not believe that the perpetrators are still on campus, and Professor Mayakovsky and Madame Zelda have re-established the wards. You are all perfectly safe. However, we are going to ask that you remain in your common rooms until we’ve ensured that’s all the damage they did. You will be served any meals in your room until further notice.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>A few groans were heard around the room at this. “But tomorrow’s Christmas!” Charlton cried out.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Yes, all day long,” the Headmaster said dryly. “Plan to have the holiday dinner here in the Great Hall as usual. For now, we will escort you back to your common rooms.” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>At that, students started to get up and gather with their housemates. Quentin saw Keiran and Callum from Hufflepuff, and he stood to cross over to them. He stopped before he took a step away and looked down at Eliot, who was watching him from under his long lashes.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Quentin felt supremely awkward as he grasped at words, even more so as he noticed Kady and Idri watching their interaction with interest. “So…” he started.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Eliot grinned up at him. Quentin’s hand hung by his side, inches away from Eliot’s arm. Eliot quietly reached over and gripped Quentin’s palm with just the pads of his fingertips, giving the lightest squeeze as he smiled up at Quentin.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“So…,” Eliot mimicked teasingly. “Happy Christmas, Quentin.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Quentin felt his heart suddenly swell as he looked down at Eliot. “Happy Christmas, Eliot.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>--</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Quentin knew sleep would not come easily after Madame Zelda had escorted him and his fellow Hufflepuffs back to their dorms, as the adrenaline from the evening was still wreaking havoc on his body. It was normal for him to have trouble falling asleep on Christmas Eve, but it had always been because of the excitement of the next morning - not because he’d spent the evening running an emotional obstacle course. He’d put on his pajamas and laid in bed, turning the past few hours over is his mind. He was alone in his room, as both Todd and Josh were not returning from break until after the New Year.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>There had been kissing. Between him and Eliot. A lot of it. Groping, there was groping too. Not quite heavy petting, but well on their way. Quentin had his hands on Eliot’s warm skin, his fingers entwined in those dark curls, his lips on Eliot’s throat as he’d gasped and moaned just for him. He had thought that maybe a taste would quell the fire within, but instead he found that it burned even hotter. He felt his body responding just from the memories of those few precious moments on the tower, and he forced himself to think about Quodpot or Quidditch or anything other than the unending hunger he’d seen in Eliot’s eyes before their lips had touched. If he kept going down that track (</span>
  <em>
    <span>the sensation of Eliot’s fingers pressing into his palm in the Great Hall</span>
  </em>
  <span>), his dick would make sure he didn’t get any rest. He did eventually give in and release some of his tension, rutting into his hand for all of a minute before coming all over himself, but even then his brain wouldn’t shut up as he laid down in bed.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Would this last? Eliot had run so hot and cold these past few months - would he change his mind by tomorrow? Had he already? Was he laying in his common room, laughing about how easily little Quentin Coldwater had fallen into his lap? Quentin felt a wave of anxiety splash over him - he knew his crush on Eliot was bad, but now that he’d spent more time with Eliot, gotten to know him, he felt almost delirious with how much he wanted to be near him. Even beyond the ridiculous chemistry that was impossible to ignore - he hadn’t opened up to anyone about that horrible summer in years. In that moment, in the forbidden forest with the wise eyes of thestrals watching him, he’d felt something he hadn’t even realized he only ever felt with two other people in his life - he felt safe. Which was the ultimate irony - that a snarky, cunning, indifferent Slytherin that could break him with a word, was the only person since his sister and best friend to make him feel protected. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He didn’t know if he could take it if Eliot suddenly remembered that </span>
  <em>
    <span>oh yeah</span>
  </em>
  <span>, Quentin was a Hufflepuff and a total nerd and broken and wore hoodies and jeans under his robes and how could anyone as untouchable and incandescent as Eliot ever be satisfied with the walking catastrophe that was Quentin Coldwater?</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Sensing that he was starting to spiral (yay for therapy), he focused on taking slow, deep breaths and started to redirect himself. He tried to focus on the break-in - who did it? And </span>
  <em>
    <span>how </span>
  </em>
  <span>did they do it? What was in Fogg’s office that someone would risk getting arrested for? Turning that over in his mind, Quentin reached for the glass of water he normally kept by his bed at night, and saw that the drawer to his nightstand was slightly ajar. He frowned - he knew it had been closed when he woke up that morning, and he’d had no reason to open it since then.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He pulled it all the way open, and noticed an odd smell permeating from the drawer - almost  like something had been burning. It reminded him of when the lawnmower didn’t have enough oil and his dad insisted it was fine and tried to start it anyway. The air also tasted weird - like it was rusty. He wrinkled his nose as he dug around in the drawer and withdrew the little Death Star from his date with Seb.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The smell was a bit stronger, and was definitely coming from the trinket. He frowned as he looked at it - did it expire? Was that a thing with wizard toys? He did still feel some magic coming from the object, but it wasn’t nearly as strong as when he’d first received it. Quentin picked up his wand, and muttered “Revelio,” as he looked at the dark orb.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Nothing happened - no little light show or tiny X-wing flying out into the darkness. Quentin rolled his eyes and chucked it back in the drawer - he’d toss it out tomorrow. At least it had lasted longer than his actual relationship with Seb had. He pulled the covers up to his chin and breathed deeply, willing sleep to overtake him.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>--</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>They wound up confined to their common rooms for most of Christmas Day, word coming just before dinner that all students could report to the Great Hall for their holiday meal. Quentin never thought he’d ever be bored at Hogwarts, but being restricted to his common room with only Marengo and a few other students for company had proved him wrong.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He’d woken up later than usual, especially for Christmas, missing breakfast and having to pick through the leftovers that were still sitting out in the common room. He’d had a pile of gifts on the edge of his bed though - an illustrated map of Fillory from Julia (a limited edition that included the rarely mentioned Outer Islands), along with a little statue of an eagle and a badger standing side-by-side atop a log. The badger shook a little fist upwards, reminiscent of Bender from the Breakfast Club, and the eagle’s wings unfurled wide behind her. Quentin smiled as he set it on his nightstand.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>His parents had sent a letter, along with several pictures of their holiday in California and a copy of plane and park tickets - their gift was a trip back over the summer, this time with Quentin and Alice in tow. They certainly looked very tan in their pictures (some of which had been taken with a wizard camera, as one featured his dad pretending to stab a costumed Darth Vader with a lightsaber).  Alice had sent over what was basically a gift basket of Norwegian gifts - an incredible soft, thick, dark green sweater, which Quentin pulled over his head immediately. She’d fed Quentin’s sweet tooth, sending over liquorice chocolates and a few other sweets he’d never heard of. He took a bit into one of the chocolates immediately, nearly rolling his eyes at the sweetness that exploded on his tongue. Never one to forget her pet, Alice had also included a little package for Marengo - a few mice stuffed with catnip and a few other new toys. The cat had watched Quentin open the package with wide expectant eyes, purring loudly, as though she knew exactly which one was hers. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The rest of the day until dinner had been spent lying around the common room. He found he didn’t have much appetite for any of his usual distractions - he thumbed through some of his books, but tossed them aside after a few minutes. He did play a game or two of wizard chess with Kieran, who was a good competitor, even if they talked too much during the game for Quentin’s tastes. After spending an hour tossing a mouse around for Marengo, he was ready to climb out the window if it meant he didn’t have to spend another minute alone with his thoughts.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Because his brain - it was busy. It was in the astronomy tower with Eliot, on the dueling platform with his wand in his hand, in the Slytherin common room staring at his cards over a green felt table, or in a dark hallway watching Eliot stride away from him. It was in the Great Hall, imagining what would happen at dinner. Would Eliot sit next to him? Would he invite him somewhere after dinner? Would there be any perfectly positioned mistletoe for them to stumble under? </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He’d been saved by Madame Zelda coming in and smiling, proclaiming that they could leave the common room and go to dinner. Quentin, still in his new green sweater from Alice and a pair of khaki pants, threw on his robe and nearly flew out the door.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Dinner had been delicious, but not as eventful as his brain had hoped. Eliot was already there when he entered the room, sitting between Idri and some other students. Quentin had taken a seat on the other side of them, not directly across, but close enough that Eliot saw him and smiled his way when he arrived. Quentin swore that Eliot’s eyes had lingered on his chest for more than a few seconds, his eyes pleased. That, though, had been all the interaction they had throughout dinner. Quentin spent most of the meal chatting with Kady about her holiday traditions - he had seen her lighting a Menorah earlier that month with a few other students. Spirits had been high, the fear of the prior night all but forgotten. Laughter had rung through the Great Hall as a sense of tranquility permeated the room; even Headmaster Fogg and Professor Mayakvosky seemed to let their hair down more than usual (as much as two bald men could). The faculty were sitting at the tables with the students, the head table at the front of the room sitting empty. The two men recounted a few stories from before they were employed at Hogwarts- apparently they had been Aurors together.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Quentin had looked Eliot’s way a few times during dinner, and found him engaged in conversation with Idri or other students, or focused on his meal. Now, after dessert was finished and students were starting to drift apart, he looked to where Eliot had been sitting only to find an empty seat.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He glanced around the hall, but found no sign of Eliot. He tried to quell the disappointment rising within him - he’d been sure he would at least get to talk to him again tonight. His full stomach started to clench when he heard a deep voice say his name.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Quentin.” Idri was standing directly across the table from him, his hands placed on the table top as he leaned over it. His dark eyes were sparkling as they zeroed in on Quentin, who felt pinned down, as if he was a small animal caught in a trap. “Party in our common room, if you’re up for it.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“He’s up for it,” Kady answered for him. Quentin turned to her, his displeasure at having someone else speak for him (particularly Kady, who hardly seemed like the type to care enough to speak for anyone besides herself) plain on his face. Kady shrugged- “I’m under orders not to let you spend Christmas night alone.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“How do you know I’d be alone?” he mumbled under his breath as he took another look around the hall. No sign of Eliot.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“He’ll be at the party,” Kady whispered knowingly, low enough for only Quentin to hear. “Always likes to make a late entrance.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Quentin’s pressed his lips together. Could a man have no secrets? “Fine,” he sighed. “I may as well check Gryffindor off my common room bingo card.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Kady and Idri both smiled as they led the way out the door.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>--</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The Gryffindor common room was everything Quentin had thought it would be - deep reds and gold decor, overstuffed couches and chairs, a roaring fire next to the tall, bright Christmas tree. It was every bit as cozy as the Hufflepuff common room, just bolder and brighter. Quentin felt goosebumps crawl up his arm as he ran his fingers over the stiff fabric of one of the wall tapestries. Much like the Slytherin common room, they depicted images of famous graduates of the house accomplishing heroic deeds, but these were much less chilling than what Quentin remembered from the dungeons. He could easily see himself here, or Alice, or Julia - huddled together doing homework in front of the fire or playing chess at one of the tables. What could have been…</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Shaking his head, he flopped down onto one of the couches. Kady had disappeared up to her room to change, and a handful of students were milling around the room. Eliot hadn’t arrived yet, and Quentin tried to stop the look of disappointment that he knew crossed his face every time the door opened and someone that wasn’t tall, gorgeous, and emotionally unavailable walked in.  He heard soft music start up, and he looked over to see Idri casting a charm over what looked like a small iPhone. Seemingly satisfied at the sounds floating through the room, Idri turned and made a beeline for Quentin, sitting right next to him on the couch. Quentin straightened up a bit, smiling nervously at Idri as the man turned towards him. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“So what do you think?” Idri asked, those dimples and penetrating eyes flashing at Quentin as he gestured around the room.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Quentin, who may have been enamored of Eliot but wasn’t dead, felt his heart skip a beat. “It’s amazing,” he said honestly. The large windows above gave a great view of the dark, cloudy sky… which made him think of how he’d been sitting under that same sky not even 24 hours earlier with Eliot. Quentin’s eyes traveled back to the common room door, which was stubbornly silent and still.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Waiting for someone?” Idri asked, seemingly amused. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“No,” Quentin said quickly. “Just looking around. How did you get your phone to work in here?” Quentin asked, hoping to change the subject.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Idri glanced back at the phone in question. “It’s just playing from the memory, no signal or anything is going out. I put a ward on it to keep the magic from interfering. We’ll see how long before it blows up.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Quentin nodded, shifting in his seat. He could feel Idri’s eyes on him, sweeping from head to foot, and it was all Quentin could do to keep the blush off his face. He was actually starting to recognize that look of interest, and he would never get used to it - especially when it came from handsome boys. Luckily, Kady appeared to save him from himself. She had changed into jeans and a red and gold plaid button down that she wore open over a grey shirt. Her perpetual scowl was replaced by a blissful smirk, and she handed Quentin the joint she’d just taken a drag of. Quentin accepted it gratefully, taking a long inhale before offering it to Idri. Immediately the sharp edges to the room softened, the lights became more muted, and the pressure he’d been feeling on his shoulders since dinner kind of floated away. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Kady fell heavily into an armchair, her eyes fluttering as she took another hit. Quentin leaned his head back on the couch, relishing in the heavy feeling of tranquility flowing through his limbs. “I heard what got stolen out of the Headmaster’s office,” she said. Idri quirked his head towards Kady, and Quentin looked her way. “Some old broken wands. Why the fuck would you break in for that when you can just buy a new one?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Quentin frowned as something tickled in the back of his mind. Shrugging, he let it go and sunk even further into the plush couch. He heard Kady snort, he was sure at his lack of constitution, but he found it beyond his ability to give a fuck.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“So,” Idri said. Quentin’s head lolled in his direction as the Gryffindor smiled at him. “You and Eliot?” The question was accompanied by a raised eyebrow, which suddenly struck Quentin as the funniest thing. His eye flickered down to the blunt in Idri’s hand - exactly what kind of charms were on this pot? He’d only had one hit and already he felt like he’d had three shots of giggle water.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“You and Eliot?” Quentin repeated, giggling, then clearing his throat and putting on his Serious Face.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Idri rolled his eyes, and Quentin could practically see the words ‘lightweight Hufflepuff’ floating away in a little thought bubble above Idri’s head. The image both amused and irritated Quentin - he hadn’t had six years or whatever to build up a tolerance to every strain that Josh Hoberman thought up.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Well, there is no ‘me and Eliot,” Idri said lightly. “And I was thinking maybe that was because of a ‘you and Eliot.’ Although a ‘me and you’ would not be something I’d turn my nose up at, either.” Idri had his elbow propped up on the top of the couch, leaning his head in his hand as he evaluated Quentin.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“That - that is confusing,” Quentin said, picking his head up and looking over at Idri, who was gazing back at him expectantly. Realizing that Idri actually wanted an answer, Quentin said, “I dunno. Eliot and I are… friendly,” he finished, realizing that he had no idea if that was true or not. Sure, they were definitely ‘friendly’ last night. And their conversations the past few days… but he was trying to prepare himself for anything, as he’d learned that there was no telling what could come next regarding Eliot Waugh.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Idri chuckled. “Eliot is complicated, that’s true. He has his good points, though. He’s a very loyal friend, as I’m sure you’ve seen.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“How would I have seen?” Quentin asked. Idri took another hit of the blunt in his hand, and then handed it to Quentin, who accepted it without even thinking. He felt his building anxiety melt away, and he sighed in contentment, even as he glanced back at the door, which adamantly refused to open.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Well, take his relationship with Margo. I admit I found it very odd at first, how close they were - I thought for sure they were a couple. But now I think they are simply found family - they watch out for each other.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Oh, yeah?” Quentin asked, the fog clearing a bit. He turned more fully towards Idri, his back to the door. These words, this was information he wanted.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Yes - he made sure that Margo didn’t go to Norway, with your sister, for instance.” Idri leaned back slightly, but Quentin could feel that Idri still had his eyes focused on Quentin, gauging his reaction.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Quentin frowned immediately. That made no sense. “Why - why would he do that?” He felt his stomach fall to his feet, his heart speed up in a way that was not at all pleasurable.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Idri shrugged. “Who knows how his mind works? He just didn’t seem to find her suitable for his best friend.” Idri sat up a bit straighter, offering the joint to Quentin again. Quentin shook his head at it as his brow furrowed, the fog beginning to lift from his mind. He could feel agitation building, as if a colony of spiders were striding up his body, their long legs leaving sharp pin pricks everywhere they touched. “I'm sure it was nothing personal,” Idri continued, sliding a bit closer to Quentin, seemingly oblivious to his distress. “You and your sister are both lovely people.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“So Eliot - Eliot is why Margo has been so shitty to Alice this past month?” Quentin asked, with more force than he intended. He fully turned his gaze onto Idri, who finally seemed to clue in that he’d probably said more than he should.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Sheepishly, Idri said, “Well, I don’t know about that, but in any case that can’t really be a surprise. Margo is rather… competitive, and to be taken down in that duel in front of everyone… it would be a blow to anyone’s ego. Definitely all we talked about for at least a couple of weeks - Margo the Destroyer was bested. By an American.” Idri said the last word almost incredulously, as if such a concept had never been thought of before. “Certainly if Alice had felt something for Margo, she would’ve gone easier on her.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Quentin barked out a laugh, and even he could hear the bitterness ring in his ears. “Right. Of course.” God forbid anyone not treat the Kings of Slytherin with the full reverence they deserved. He could see Kady looking in his direction, her eyes narrowed. Suddenly the warmth of the common room was smothering, too bright and harsh, and all he wanted was to escape. And for once, he did what he wanted.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He got up to his feet, running a hand through his hair. “I’m - I need to go,” he said to Idri. Before the man could respond, Quentin was out the door and moving down the steps to the main corridor.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The Fat Lady who guarded the entrance to the common room (Quentin couldn’t bring himself to actually call her that, he’d avoided all eye contact with her when Kady and Idri had taken him through the portrait hole) yelled at his back as he angrily stalked away, fussing about how he’d roughly slammed her portrait shut. Quentin ignored her, the rage flowing through him so palpable he felt like he could breathe fire if he tried. He flew down the stairs of the Gryffindor tower, not even sure where he was going until he found himself across the castle, taking the stairs to the Astronomy Tower at almost a run until he burst into the airy chamber.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Breathing heavily, he walked out to the balcony, which was covered in a few inches of fresh snow. The wind blew heavily - he vaguely remembered some comments at dinner about a blizzard coming that night. He looked up, not to see a star-filled sky, but instead a dour, colorless wash of clouds, almost as if the weather had sensed his distress and decided to commiserate.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He wasn’t sure how long he stood there, his mind whirling. Why would Eliot think that Alice was not good enough for Margo? If anything, Margo should be thanking the heavens that Alice gave her the time of day. Quentin thought of the smiles he’d seen on Alice’s face, the contentment he hadn’t seen in years, broken away because the Slytherin ego was too fragile to handle something genuine.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The memory of his conversation with Seb at Hogsmeade - it already felt like a lifetime ago - suddenly slammed into him. He had been warned - Eliot only looked out for himself (and apparently Margo), and Seb was walking, talking proof of that. He’d been caught in Eliot’s web, he’d had his Prefect status stripped, and was almost expelled. All while Eliot walked around, with no consequences, continuing to meddle in other people’s happiness.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He wrapped his arms around himself, shivering as the rage inside him gave way to sadness and disappointment. Even as the icy wind cut through him, his face felt warm as snowflakes settled in his hair, melted on his cheeks. Was anything he’d had with Eliot real? Was Quentin just part of some game he was playing? Was he mad at how Eliot had treated Alice, or at himself, for actually believing that someone like Eliot would ever truly want someone like him? He was a fool. Stupid, stupid, </span>
  <em>
    <span>stupid</span>
  </em>
  <span>.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He heard shuffling behind him, and then a soft voice.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Q?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Quentin’s eyes closed, and he tried to swallow down the tears trying to crawl up his throat. Of course, he knew that voice. It had whispered that same nickname to him on this very spot, hardly a day ago. He slowly turned around and faced Eliot.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He had changed since dinner, Quentin saw. He had a tight, muted dark green button down shirt under his robe - the color very nearly matched the dark green sweater Quentin was currently wearing. His curls were tamed, a little less wild than usual but still perfectly framing his roguish face. His hazel eyes were bright and eager, even as they were currently dimmed with confusion. His tie was perfectly cinched, also dark green, matching his shirt so closely it all blended together. But as Quentin peered closer, he could see little golden emblems embroidered on the fabric. From the first day he had set eyes on Eliot, he had taken Quentin’s breath away, and tonight was no exception - he looked so beautiful, almost like something Quentin would see only in a fever dream - and completely untouchable. Quentin’s breath pushed out in a huff as he shook his head once, looking to the ground.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“What are you doing up here?” Eliot asked, taking a step closer, out of the covered room and into the snow. “They said you had just left the common room when I got there, so I thought maybe you’d be here.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Looks like you thought right,” Quentin said tightly, still not meeting his eyes.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Well - I - I’m glad,” Eliot said, his eyes crinkling as he looked at Quentin, not quite sure what to make of him. “I wanted to talk… Are you ok?” His head tilted as he took another step closer. His shoes crunched in the snow. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Yep, I’m great,” Quentin answered quickly. “Let’s talk.”  </span>
  <em>
    <span>Let’s get this over with</span>
  </em>
  <span>, Quentin thought, his stomach tightening. He felt he was outside of himself, floating just above the tower, watching his arms clench around his stomach, his fingers twist in his robes as Eliot stood just feet away.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Eliot stared at him for a moment, and that same tension that Quentin lived for swelled in the air. It swirled and thickened, as if Quentin could bite down on it and swallow it into his tight chest. Eliot’s mouth thinned, and then he nodded once. And he started to speak.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I...I can’t take this anymore. These past months have been… a struggle. I’ve fucking hated it, Q. Every damn minute I spend in this place, I hope to see you, and I don’t know why. I walk down the hall and I search for your ridiculously soft hair, parted right down the goddamn middle. I sit at my desk and I am so happy that you’re right there, blowing up a potion that a fifth-year could master, or making some geek Lord of the Rings crown or whatever. You smile, and I swear to God, the clouds fucking part and the sun shines and birds sing and all that crap.” Throughout his speech, his arms had moved, gesturing as he spoke, his eyes rolling and almost blushing as the words tumbled from his mouth. Now he paused for a moment, his breath coming quickly, his fingers trembling. He averted his eyes from Quentin, who stood rooted to the spot, completely still. Eliot began to pace along the platform, Quentin following his every move.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I have fought against my better judgement, against the fact that you belong to the most inferior house this school has to offer, your complete awkwardness that should be a complete turnoff but is somehow the most adorable thing I’ve ever seen, and I’m willing to put all of that aside and ask you” - he stopped a few feet in front of Quentin, and met his eyes - “to end this. I have to be with you, as much as I fucking... hate it.” He spit the words out, every one a bullet aimed straight at Quentin’s heart.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Quentin stared back at Eliot, his mouth agape. His heart stuttered in his chest as he tried to register what Eliot was saying - it sounded good, some of it sounded fucking amazing, but it some of it also sounded pretty… crappy. “I don’t understand,” Quentin finally said.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I love you,” Eliot said, taking a step closer. “Most fucking ardently.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>Who even talks like this?</span>
  </em>
  <span> Quentin thought, staring back at Eliot. Who loved him. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Eliot loved him</span>
  </em>
  <span>. One side of him was cheering, absolutely bouncing off the fucking walls that Eliot had just said what Quentin had longed to hear, what he felt in his heart but didn't have the courage to actually admit to himself. He loved him.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>But the other side of him (which bore a remarkable resemblance to Julia) had its arms crossed, eyes narrowed, telling the cheering side to shut it’s goddamnned mouth because </span>
  <em>
    <span>what the fuck</span>
  </em>
  <span>? Who tells someone that you love them in the same breath you tell them they are inferior? What was wrong with his hair? How could you tell someone that you hate that you love them? And it was a Fillorian crown, not Lord of the Rings.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>No</span>
  </em>
  <span>, Quentin decided. Eliot didn’t love him. Maybe he thought he did, tonight. Maybe he was drunk or high, even though his eyes were the clearest Quentin had ever seen. Tomorrow he’d realize what a colossal mistake he’d made and would ignore Quentin again. Maybe even laugh about it with Idri.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Or maybe this was part of some game - the same as he played with Margo and Alice. Fuck around with the Americans, or the Hufflepuff, or whatever. In any case, Quentin was done. He’d been through enough and he wasn’t going to stand for it anymore.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Well,” he paused. “I’m sorry if I’ve made these past few months so hard for you. Trust me, I didn’t mean to,” Quentin said, his lips pressed in a thin line. He could feel the rage bubbling back, coating his throat, and it felt good - he grabbed on to it, wrapped himself in it because the alternative was a sadness so deep it would drag him down into frozen tears and follow him for years.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Eliot’s eyes narrowed as he stared at Quentin. Then he asked quietly, “Is that your response?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Quentin had lots more he could say, but he pressed it down. He wouldn’t give Eliot the satisfaction of knowing how much he had gotten to him. </span>
  <em>
    <span>He loved him.</span>
  </em>
  <span> “Yes,” he said plainly.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Eliot frowned, recoiling back slightly. “Are you laughing at me?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Quentin had never felt so far from laughter. “No.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I’m sorry Quentin, but, are you rejecting me?” Eliot almost seemed to chuckle, as if that was a concept he’d never even considered. Of course a Hufflepuff would fall all over themselves for the illustrious Eliot Waugh. He could break anyone’s heart and have them coming back for more.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Still, Quentin couldn’t bring himself to lie. He knew that he would never exist in a world where he felt nothing for Eliot. “I’m saying that all that shit you said about me being a Hufflepuff and being inferior and just being… myself will help you get over all of… this, all and move on.” </span>
  <em>
    <span>Even people that think they love me can’t stand the fact that they do.</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Eliot gaped at Quentin. “Quentin… these past few months. The duel, the poker game, the forest… last night. There’s no way you don’t feel anything for me.” Despite his anger, Quentin felt himself responding to Eliot, a delicate warmth starting to creep up over the rage he still held tightly inside. Eliot’s wide eyes, the most earnest and honest Quentin had ever seen, could take him apart in a second.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Quentin broke eye contact, looking down. “Right, and If you really felt the same, why would you tell me you love me at the same time you tell me how much you hate the fact that you do?” His voice cracked, as the tears he’d been fighting threatened to spill over. The wind picked up, and Quentin stalked past Eliot, into the interior of the tower.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He heard Eliot follow, his steps loud in the observatory. “No, Quentin, I didn’t mean -”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Whirling, Quentin nearly exploded. Cutting Eliot off, he said, “Why would you think I could ever accept someone who did everything they could to make sure my sister was completely miserable?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Eliot stopped short, confusion evident on his face. “I - What does Alice have to do with anything?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“She’s my sister!” Quentin said. “She was the happiest I’d seen her in years and that was because of Margo. And you made damn sure that Margo didn’t want anything to do with her!.” He paused, staring at Eliot’s wide eyes. “Can you tell me I’m wrong?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Eliot’s throat bobbed as he swallowed hard. “No.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Quentin felt a little piece of him collapse in on itself at Eliot’s admission. He felt tears spring to his eyes as he stared back at him. “Why?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Eliot stepped back, sighing, looking to the ceiling as he ran a hand through his curls. Quentin followed the movement, his breath catching as he could almost feel the soft strands in between his fingers. “She didn’t really like Margo! Not the way she deserves. Bambi was in way too deep, too fast, and she was going to get hurt. It took ages for Alice to even give her anything more than a smile.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“That’s because she’s shy!” Quentin said, his tears forgotten as he felt anger take hold again. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I talked to Margo and she agreed that Alice just wasn’t into her. There’s no way Alice would have cut her down so fast in that duel if she’d had any feelings for her.” Eliot looked exasperated, frustration and something near desperation in his eyes.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“That is such bullshit! She’s </span>
  <em>
    <span>my </span>
  </em>
  <span>sister and she hardly tells me what she’s feeling!,” Quentin responded, rolling his eyes as he stepped closer to Eliot. “You think it proves love to hold back? In a stupid class duel?” At Eliot’s silence, he pressed further. “What about when we dueled? Or at the poker table? Should I have held back then?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Eliot’s eyes snapped to his, dark and wild. Quentin’s heart, already racing, spiked so hard against his chest he thought it may burst out. He felt a shock that went through his body, straight to his cock. Eliot stepped closer.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“You should </span>
  <em>
    <span>never </span>
  </em>
  <span>hold back,” he practically snarled, reaching out and grabbing Quentin by the cloak, pulling him to him, into him as he lowered his mouth to Quentin’s.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Quentin responded immediately, opening to him, pushing his body against Eliot’s, moaning into his mouth as Eliot stroked his tongue against Quentin’s. He was all wet heat and solid warmth, and Quentin pressed his hips against Eliot’s, thinking he could just live here -</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>No. </span>
  <em>
    <span>No</span>
  </em>
  <span>, he thought, pulling away abruptly, </span>
  <em>
    <span>Don’t play this game.</span>
  </em>
  <span> Eliot stumbled at the loss. Quentin turned away, running both hands through his hair as he breathed out hard through his nose.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Q-” Eliot started.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“What about Seb?” Quentin asked suddenly. He turned to Eliot, to see the desire that had been blooming disappear, replaced by a freezing anger.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“What </span>
  <em>
    <span>about </span>
  </em>
  <span>Seb?” Eliot asked, taking a step closer to Quentin. His gaze was hard, intense, his lips pursed as he stared down at Quentin.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“He told me what you did to him. How you lied to him. Got him stripped of his badge. Almost expelled.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Eliot’s eyes widened, and he let out a sharp, humorless laugh. “What </span>
  <em>
    <span>I</span>
  </em>
  <span> did to - ? Are you fucking kidding me?” Eliot took two steps away from Quentin, and then turned roughly back to him. “You’re serious?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>At Quentin’s silence, Eliot did laugh. “Oh, </span>
  <em>
    <span>poor fucking Seb</span>
  </em>
  <span>. That is what you think of me? After… after the other day, in the forest. That is who you think I am?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Quentin remained silent, even as doubt started to flicker inside. He didn’t know what to say.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>So he said nothing.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Eliot swore, turning and raising his eyes to the ceiling, before looking back at Quentin. Outside, the wind blew forcefully, the tower almost shaking. “Well, thank you, Quentin, for explaining so fully. I’ve been nothing but honest with you. I may be a bit dramatic, but I’m not a liar. Could you honestly expect me to celebrate the fact that I fell so fucking hard for a nerdy Hufflepuff that can’t even down a shot without coughing up a lung?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>At that, Quentin regained his ability to speak. And speak he did, anger and bitterness fueling him.  “And- and I’m supposed to believe you mean it when you say you love me? You know, from the first moment I met you, your - your arrogance, your selfish disdain for anyone that wasn’t in your narrow circle of approval, made me realize that you were the last person in the world I’d ever love.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>As soon as the words were out of his mouth, he wished he could take them back. They weren’t true. They would never, could never be true. But they hung there in the air between them, solid and dark and unforgiving. Quentin knew he would never forget the hurt in Eliot’s eyes, the wall that immediately sprung up on his face as soon as the last word left Quentin’s mouth. They stared at each other, the wind howling behind them.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Finally, Eliot cleared his throat. “Forgive me, Quentin. For taking up so much of your time.” And then he turned and walked down the stairs. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Leaving Quentin, again, with the image of Eliot’s back moving farther away from him.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Leaving Quentin alone.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>--</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>tbc in Chapter 12: The Truth</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>
  <a href="https://i.imgur.com/jiR7uVA.jpg"> Eliot’s Tie</a>
</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0012"><h2>12. The Truth</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Haha, I lied, I guess I'm a Monday updater now, I don't even know.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <em>
    <span>Quentin</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Quentin pulled the pillow over his head, ignoring the annoying pecking sound at his dorm room window. Surely Gerald would give up and go back to the Owlery eventually. The room fell silent, and he breathed deeply, hoping sleep would take him again.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>But not even ten seconds later the little </span>
  <em>
    <span>peck peck peck</span>
  </em>
  <span> at the window started again, and Quentin groaned, rolling over to face the ceiling. Sunlight streamed into the room through the windows, the blizzard of the night before just a memory. A memory that flooded back to Quentin in a rush, along with all the pain that accompanied it.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>After dragging himself down the steps of the Astronomy Tower and back to his dorm, he’d fallen right into bed without even taking his robe off. He’d given in to the tears that had threatened the entire walk back, sobbing into his pillow like some Disney princess. Eventually, his throat raw and his pillow soaked, he’d taken off his shoes and robe, and tossed them across the room. The soft green sweater though, that still had the faintest scent of Eliot’s cologne from their very short embrace, he left on. Sleep eventually claimed him, but not a restful one. His legs were tangled in his bedclothes, pulled away from the mattress as he tossed and turned. He could remember startling awake several times during the night, dreams (or was it memories?) of him and Eliot kissing, and then Eliot telling him that he loved him and hated him all at the same time.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>His head was pounding; he felt like shit. He wasn’t sure how long he’d been in bed - he had a few vague recollections of feeding Marengo and going to the bathroom, but his mind was full of dense fog, the likes of which he hadn’t experienced in years.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He sat up too fast, a wave of dizziness making him wonder how long it had been since he’d last eaten. It had just been the night before at Christmas dinner, right? He padded over to the tower window, where Gerald still sat, knocking persistently. Quentin looked at the window in confusion. Did it even open? Gerald, seeing Quentin come into view, pecked harder, most likely irritated that his master hadn’t been at breakfast for mail delivery and he’d had to seek him out.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Quentin stared blearily at his pet for a moment, before walking back to the nightstand to grab his wand. He went back to the window, and with a flick of his wrist, a few sparks shot out of his wand as the window opened. Gerald, along with a swathe of cold air, flew into the room. Quentin quickly shut the window as Gerald perched on his trunk at the foot of his bed. The owl’s eyes were fixed accusingly on Quentin, and he angled out his little foot. Quentin could see a note attached.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Quentin sighed, grabbing a small box of owl treats off his dresser. He held out a few to Gerald, who gobbled them up. Quentin sunk heavily onto the trunk next to his pet, untying the letter with tired fingers. It was tiny, no need for it to be shrunk - and only contained a few sentences, in a script he was very familiar with.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>Are you okay? Kady said you were upset and she hasn’t seen you. Coming back 27th. Julia</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Quentin sighed, and felt Gerald nuzzle his arm. He turned to his owl, who peered up at him with large, worried eyes. Gerald pushed his feathered body under Quentin’s arm, nestling into his side. Quentin felt another warm body wrap around his ankles - he looked down to see Marengo pressing against his legs, purring loudly. She looked up and met his eyes, her wide blue ones appearing as worried as Gerald’s. She leapt up into his lap, and Quentin looked from the cat to the owl, wondering if a fight was about to break out.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The two animals seemed unconcerned with each other’s presence though, and only in nuzzling Quentin. He felt fresh tears come to his eyes as he held his friend’s letter in his hand, and felt the soft, steady comfort that only the unconditional love of an animal could offer. Suddenly, the sunlight in the room didn’t feel so harsh to his eyes.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Quentin set Julia’s letter down and scratched Marengo under her chin with one hand while stroking Gerald’s feathers with his other. He turned back to look at his nightstand, where his prescription bottle was waiting for him. With a sigh, he stood up, gently depositing Marengo to the floor, and crossed over to pick up his pills, opening it and tapping out his dose. He tossed it down with a gulp of water. Feeling weak on his feet, he knew he needed to get some food in his body - even if it was just a few bites (taking his meds before eating was pretty much guaranteed nausea). Every limb felt heavy, and every movement took so much effort. Quentin looked at his bed - it would be so easy to just fall back into it, burrow under the covers, and forget about today. And tomorrow. And the next day…</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Quentin sat back down on his trunk, avoiding the bed, and took three deep, steady breaths. He could feel tears start to creep back up his throat, and he pushed them down. He was fine. Ok, he wasn’t fine. But he could do this. The first step was getting out of this room, and not giving in to the overwhelming urge to run from the day.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>After letting Gerald back out through the window and re-sealing it, he forced himself into the shower. He stared at the wall as his body went through the motions of scrubbing and washing, his cheap bar soap hardly lathering. Once finished, he looked at his reflection in the bathroom mirror, frowning. He grabbed his comb and gingerly parted his hair on his left side, combing out the wet strands. After pulling on a pair of jeans and a hoodie, Quentin made his way to the Great Hall. He left his robe on the floor.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Keeping his eyes down, he quickly walked through the halls, not wanting to see or talk to anyone. There was no one to talk to, though, save a few portraits mumbling as he passed them. He just caught the tail end of breakfast, and he had been shoving his food around his plate for about five minutes when someone plopped down next to him. He turned and looked into a set of dark, surly eyes.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Hey,” Kady told him. He didn’t miss the look of concern, of pity on her face. “What’s up?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Not much,” Quentin said, looking back to his plate. Silence fell between them, and out of the corner of his eye, he could see Kady fiddling with her earring, something she’d done during the poker game when she was going to fold. She was unhappy about something - or at least uneasy.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“So,” she said finally, “You left pretty quick the other night.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I, um… yeah, I just was tired. Wanted to go to bed.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He could feel Kady peering closer at him. “Your boy came looking for you right after you left.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“He’s not my boy,” Quentin said quickly. He set his fork down, his appetite vanishing.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Ok, well…” Kady said, her voice soft. “If you wanna talk about it, I’m around.” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Quentin looked over to her, and he could see from the look in her eyes that she’d rather play a game of Quidditch naked. Still, the thought was there, and that made him smile.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Thanks, Kady, but I’m good.” She smiled back at him. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Well, I saw Not-Your-Boy before breakfast. He looks just as shitty as you do.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Quentin didn’t know if that made him feel better or worse. Every time he closed his eyes, he could hear “I love you. Most fucking ardently.” repeating in his brain, could see bright hazel eyes, clear and true looking back at him. It made his heart soar, to think that he had gotten to Eliot even half as bad as Eliot had gotten to him.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>And love… it was just beyond. Beyond Quentin’s wildest dreams, that Eliot would not only want to be with him, but love him. It made him feel as though he could do anything - ace his N.E.W.T.’s, take on anyone in a duel, fly to the fucking moon and back, that Eliot would choose him, would want to be with him...</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>And then it all came crashing down when he remembered that Eliot didn’t want to love him. Quentin had no idea why he did in the first place, and apparently neither did Eliot. Not that Quentin could blame him. He had to work really hard to love himself, he could completely understand why someone else would balk at the idea of loving a walking tragedy named Quentin Coldwater.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Sighing, Quentin said, “Julia owled me. She’s coming back tomorrow?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Today,” Kady said. “Later tonight, I think.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Oh, her owl said she’d be back on the 27th.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Today is the 27th,” Kady said. “How long were you wallowing in your dorm room?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Quentin frowned. Had he spent an entire day in bed and not even noticed?</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He felt queasy, his heart starting to beat a bit faster and the telltale prick of tears in his eyes. He hadn’t done anything like that in… years. “Kady, um…” he said. The urge to flee, back to his room, away from everything, was so powerful it was all he could do to force the words out. “Do you want to go for a walk? Or a ride?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Her eyebrows arched in surprise. “Sure,” she said. “You wanna go grab your broom?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>No</span>
  </em>
  <span>, he thought. He wanted to just curl up in a ball in the corner. But he couldn’t do that. He knew better. He needed someone to help keep him afloat, and right now, his options were limited.  “No. I’ll grab a student broom from the shed.” Kady nodded, and then they headed out towards the front entryway.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“By the way, I dunno what you did to your hair, but it looks way better today,” Kady told him as they descended the castle steps.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Quentin chuckled. “Thanks.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>--</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Flying with Kady hadn’t brought him any amazing epiphanies or true clarity, but it had at least lightened the load on his head. Being in the sunlight, feeling the air on his face, forcing himself to think about not-Eliot for an hour or so as he and Kady flew further out over the grounds helped pull him a bit further out of the dark hole he was precariously balanced over.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>They’d flown and chatted about everything and nothing - she was actually a sci-fi fan, and they bonded over their love of Dana Scully and Olivia Dunham (although Kady insisted those “don’t count as sci-fi because they’re mainstream”). He could see what Julia saw in her- her quick wit and soft consideration, wrapped up in a hard outer shell of no-nonsense attitude and resting bitch face. As she left him at the Great Hall after lunch (where he’d gobbled down enough food to cover the past day or so), he’d surprised her by giving her a short hug, which she awkwardly accepted with a light pat on his back.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Quentin still didn’t want to go back to his room, so he headed to the library. He thumbed through some Transfiguration books, but eventually drifted away over to the fiction section, where he found Hogwarts collection of Fillory books. He grabbed a copy of </span>
  <em>
    <span>The Secret Sea </span>
  </em>
  <span>and settled down on one of the larger armchairs in the back of the library.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Soon though, his mind drifted away from the adventures of Jane and Rupert Chatwin seeking out the Great Shark Army, and back to Eliot. Now that he had gotten most of his tears out of his system, at least for now, and some distance, he was able to better look back at the conversation. The look on Eliot’s face when Quentin had brought up Seb- the… betrayal in his eyes when he’d asked Quentin if that’s what he truly thought of him... Quentin started to feel sick to his stomach as he realized that he’d just taken Seb at his word. Was it even partly true? Had Seb lied to him?</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Yes!” The exclamation came from one row over, and Quentin started, his head jerking up and looking around. Penny came around the bookshelf, the familiar look of irritation in his eyes. "Seb King is a fucking liar, Quentin." He held a book in his hand, which he dropped on a table near Quentin. He then grabbed a chair and pulled it over in front of Quentin and sat down. Quentin stared at him, his eyes wide.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Look,” Penny said, leaning forward in his seat, “You are one of the most pathetic idiots I’ve ever met. You have no game, you’re way too into nerdy shit, and you know way too many Taylor Swift songs.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I had enough game to leave poker night with your money in my pocket,” Quentin snapped back, tossing his book to the table, where it landed with a clatter. He had exactly zero tolerance for Penny’s bullshit right now.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“And you’re a brat,” Penny continued. “But,” he said, sighing, “Julia has always seen something in you. What, I have no idea, but she’s usually not wrong. And you got me that book, and now I’m out from under Zelda’s thumb. So - this </span>
  <em>
    <span>one </span>
  </em>
  <span>time - I will ease your little high school drama. And then we’re gonna have a quick Occlumency lesson so I don’t have to hear another rendition of </span>
  <em>
    <span>All Too Well</span>
  </em>
  <span> because that shit is just depressing.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Quentin stared at Penny, his throat dry. He could already feel the familiar ball of anxiety forming in his stomach, his chest tightening as his heart sped up. “Okay,” he said, trying to prepare himself for whatever may come next out of Penny’s mouth.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“What exactly did Seb tell you?” Penny asked, sitting back in his chair.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“That- that a couple of years ago, Eliot asked Seb to help him with a potion, because he was a prefect and could get him into the lab. But Eliot really wanted to steal supplies from the lab to make dark potions. To sell for money. They got caught, and Eliot ran off and left Seb to take the blame.” Even as the words came out, they felt so wrong. How could he have ever believed Seb with no question?</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Penny barked out a laugh. “Yeah, so all that did happen. But like, switch roles.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Quentin’s brow furrowed in confusion. “What?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Like I said, Seb King is a liar. A really good one. All that shit went down. But he was the one who asked Eliot to help him with a potion. He was the one who ditched Eliot to take the blame, and Eliot did- he didn’t say a fucking word about Seb. But Fogg isn’t an idiot. It was already getting around that Seb was a dealer-”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Like Josh?” Quentin asked.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“No, not like fucking Josh,” Penny said, exasperated at the interruption. “Josh grows pot and makes potions that make you think you’re getting sucked off by a rainbow or whatever, Seb makes fucking… date rape potions.” At this, Quentin’s mouth dropped. How could he have been so off base?</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>At seeing Quentin’s expression, Penny sighed. “He never sold anything that hardcore within the school, he wasn’t that stupid… but by the time he graduated, he definitely had plans to expand from potions that give you a photographic memory to the harder shit. I went to Fogg, who nodded and told me he’d look into it. But apparently the word of one amateur”- Penny rolled his eyes- “Legilimens wasn’t enough to make anything happen. Asshole must have connections. But after that, Fogg was looking for a reason to toss him out. He couldn’t do it because Marina said she was with Seb that night, and without Eliot talking, he had no real proof- but his suspicion was enough to strip Seb of his prefect badge. How he managed to graduate and Marina was the one who wound up getting expelled, I’ll never know.” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Quentin was quiet as he absorbed what Penny was telling him. He thought back on his date with Seb- the really nice apartment he had, despite having no job with which to afford it. The looks Seb and Marina exchanged all night. “So Eliot never- he didn’t try to steal from the potions lab.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“No, dumbass,” Penny said, rolling his eyes. “Eliot could make anything, if he wanted to. But he’s a decent guy. Who’s gotten fucked over one too many times by Seb.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“There’s more than just that one time?” Quentin asked, feeling ready to collapse in on himself. What an idiot he was.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Eliot stayed out of Seb’s way after that. But Seb always thought Eliot ratted him out to Fogg, so he had it out for him. And after Eliot started dating Mike- like for real dating- well Seb did everything he could to make sure that relationship ended. Which, Mike wasn’t exactly a prize to begin with, he was pretty, but not exactly a lot going on upstairs.” Penny gave Quentin an appraising look. "Hrm. Maybe Eliot has a type."</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Quentin felt as though the wind had been knocked out of him (and not just because Penny had basically just said he was pretty). His words to Eliot- his accusations… a horrible wave of shame and disappointment crashed over him as he realized how horribly he had hurt Eliot. His thoughts returned to that morning in the forest, when he felt safe enough with Eliot to share a huge part of himself. And Eliot had felt the same… and Quentin had completely thrown that trust away. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“What did Seb do, exactly?” Quentin asked, even though he really didn’t want to know the answer.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Well, he fucked Mike,” Penny said plainly. “And made sure Eliot would walk in on it.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Jesus.” Quentin closed his eyes, the nausea growing stronger. Mike the Hufflepuff, that left Eliot scarred enough to write off the entire house. Quentin remembered him from the party at Seb’s - he’d had no idea that was THE Mike. Suddenly, Eliot’s reaction that night when Quentin had returned to Hogwarts after the party made sense- as soon as Quentin had mentioned Mike’s name, Eliot had gotten angry and stormed off.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Quentin was such an idiot.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Why would Seb lie to me?” Quentin asked. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Fuck if I know,” Penny said. “For fun? If he had any idea Eliot was into you, you were probably just another way to get under his skin. Seb’s idea of a fun time is kicking puppies, or pissing on the toilet seat.” Quentin felt himself fall deeper into despair, and he knew his feelings were written all over his face.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Hey, I’m sure he also wanted to get into your pants, especially if you did your hair like it is right now instead of just letting it lay flat like a mop,” Penny said, in as comforting a tone as he could muster. “But, upsetting Eliot was a bonus, too.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Quentin straightened up in his seat, and tried to swallow down the hopelessness blooming in his chest. “So everything with Alice and Margo, where Eliot pushed them apart…?” he asked, needing to know how completely off base he was.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Oh, all that shit was true. Eliot’s a good guy, but he’s still an idiot sometimes. He felt like he knew best, and he did not think Alice was best for Margo. Although I’m willing to bet he may feel differently now.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Quentin let his body sink so deep into the chair, they were basically one at this point. He’d been an idiot about Seb, that’s for sure. But that didn’t make the fact that Eliot didn’t really want Quentin any less true. Over and over, the words </span>
  <em>
    <span>“I have to be with you, as much as I fucking... hate it,”</span>
  </em>
  <span> rang in Quentin’s ears, giving him life and tearing him apart at the same time.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“So now you know, and you can stop being all sad and go talk to Eliot and fuck somewhere far far away from me,” Penny said.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>Right</span>
  </em>
  <span>, Quentin thought. Because it was just that easy...</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“How do you know all of this stuff?” Quentin asked, momentarily giving up on trying to sort out the massive amounts of new information in his brain.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Penny gave a cocky grin to Quentin. “I’m a really fucking talented Legilimens. Mayakovsky said I’m ‘one in a million.’” Penny adopted a fake Russian accent as he imitated the professor. “Do you know how hard I have to work to keep out of everyone’s head all day? It’s exhausting. Especially with those people that apparently have no walls whatsoever.” He gave Quentin a pointed look. “But the upside is I pretty much know almost everything going on. Most of the faculty are strong enough to keep me out, but even they slip sometimes. Your sister and Julia are pretty airtight too.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Quentin considered this, eyeing Penny speculatively.  “So you’re like… the Varys of Hogwarts.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Penny rolled his eyes. “Sure. But with 100% more cock.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Quentin gave a small smile, which faded away quickly. He needed to think…</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“So,” Penny said. “Basic Occlumency. Imagine a wall…”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Quentin focused on Penny, following his instructions for how to wall off his mind, and how to start to hone his focus so his thoughts weren’t on display for any one-in-a-million Legilimens that may be around. But as he built that wall, brick by brick, he couldn’t help but think of how wrong he’d been about the one person he wanted to tear it all down.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>--</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Quentin did go back to his common room after talking to Penny in the library. He needed some time to work through everything, to decide what he should do next. He found it empty, and he fell into a chair near the fire. His mind turned immediately to Eliot.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He stared into the flames, the warmth from the fire doing nothing to ease the icy regret running through his veins. He felt ashamed. So ashamed for immediately latching on to what Seb had told him. The hurt on Eliot’s face, the wall that had slammed into place as soon as Quentin had said he would never love him… how could he have let those words leave his mouth? </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Quentin remembered seeing Eliot at the Astronomy Tower, that first time he flew around the grounds on his broom. The pain and resignation on his face, how defeated he looked. Quentin was, at least partly, the reason for that suffering. He didn’t deserve Eliot’s love, not after the way he’d treated him.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Even with what he’d done to keep Margo and Alice apart… hell, maybe Eliot was right. Maybe Alice wasn’t a good match for Margo, and he was just saving his friend from the pain he had been through himself. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Quentin wasn’t sure how long he sat there, turning everything over in his mind. Should he approach Eliot? What would he say? The thought of that kiss in the tower, the desperate longing and utter completeness that he’d never felt with anyone before… the thought of that being the last time he ever touched Eliot tore him in two.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>His brooding was interrupted by Marengo jumping in his lap, putting her face close to his and giving a loud meow. Quentin’s stomach rumbled, and he realized it must be dinner time. He petted her head, and she meowed louder at him. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Okay, okay,” he said, getting up. He went towards his dorm to feed her, but she ran over to the common room door and hollered loudly in his direction.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Your food is in here, Marengo,” he said. She just looked back at the outer door and howled again. What was her problem?</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Suddenly the common room door opened, and in walked Alice, still in her heavy coat and cloak. Marengo squealed in delight (or as close as a cat could get, which was a high-pitched combination of a meow and a purr) and leapt up into Alice’s arms. Alice smiled broadly, tucking Marengo under her chin as she petted her. Her eyes moved over to Quentin. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Quentin!” she said happily. She walked over to him and hugged him as best she could with an armful of cat.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Hey!” Quentin smiled, truly happy to see her. “What are you doing here? I thought you weren’t coming back until the second.” He hugged her back hard, Marengo squawking as she was trapped for a second between the two siblings.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“That was the plan, but the weather had other ideas.” Alice grinned at him as she stroked Marengo, the cat purring loudly. Alice’s cloak was full of cat hair, but she didn’t seem to care. “This crazy blizzard came in yesterday and pretty much killed our visibility. We tried charms and shields but we just couldn’t get a clear enough window to use our equipment. Professor March said we had enough samples though, and sent everyone back for the rest of break.” She took a step back from him, a look of puzzlement on her face. “Did you change your hair? It looks great!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Uh, not really, I just… combed it,” Quentin said as he looked, really looked at Alice. She was smiling, her cheeks still rosy from the cold weather outside, and her voice was cheerful… but she seemed off. Her smile didn’t quite reach her eyes, which seemed flat and dull. Her hair hung limply around her face, and the dark circles under her eyes were just as pronounced as they had been before she left. Quentin wondered if she’d really been able to ‘focus on the work’ as she’d intended to when she’d left.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“It’s so good to see you,” Quentin said, surprised by how much he meant it. Kady had been nice, even Penny (sort of), but to see the face of someone who knew him as well as Alice nearly brought fresh tears to his eyes. He pulled her into another hug, and this time Marengo meowed her disapproval as she lept to the floor.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Alice hugged him back just as hard this time, and Quentin thought he heard a sniffle from her. He pulled back to see her wiping off her cheeks, and he was surprised to feel a tear escape and trace a salty trail down his face.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Suddenly he laughed. “What a pair we make,” he said, echoing her earlier words from before she left.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Alice laughed back, and Quentin felt the weight on his shoulders get lighter. “I”m sorry,” she said. “I don’t know what’s wrong with me. I had a really good trip, honestly I did. It’s just…” she sighed as she trailed off.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Good to see a familiar face?” he finished.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Yeah,” she said. She looked up at Quentin, and upon seeing the expression on his face, she gave him a sad smile. “I didn’t hear from Margo… well, I did, but not exactly... but it’s fine. Really, I’m over it. If I saw her in the hall, I wouldn’t even notice.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Quentin knew that was about as likely as Alice quitting Hogwarts to go join a rock band, but he let it slide without comment. The mention of Margo twisted a knife he had forgotten was lodged in his gut, as he thought of why she hadn’t heard from her. He didn’t know what to do - he didn’t think it would make Alice feel any better to know that Margo had been persuaded away from her by Eliot. And if he did tell Alice, what then? Margo was unlikely to change her mind, not if she hadn’t contacted Alice at all. Better to just leave it alone than to make Alice feel even more awful.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Tell me about your trip!” he said, scooping up Marengo. “I can walk you back to your dorm to drop off Marengo and then we can go to dinner?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Yes!” Alice said, turning back to the door. “I can’t wait to show you what we found.” The pair left the common room and headed towards the Ravenclaw tower, Marengo content to be carried in Quentin’s arms. Alice told Quentin about the hostel they stayed at in Norway, the quaint little village they would get supplies and souvenirs from, and the reindeers that visited their site. By the time they walked into the Ravenclaw room, which was just as deserted as the Hufflepuff one, Quentin felt like he’d been on the trip himself.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Wait here,” Alice told him as she darted towards her dorm. Marengo went straight for a little cat bed that was set up high in front of one of the tower windows. He watched as she leapt from the floor to a bookshelf, to a higher bookshelf, and then another huge leap up to the shelf with the bed. She happily settled into the bed, a dimming late afternoon sunbeam making her white fur look iridescent. Quentin thought that if he was an animagus, he’d spend as much time as he could as a cat in a warm sunbeam.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Alice returned to the common room, wearing the most excited smile Quentin had ever seen. She was practically bouncing in her shoes as she held up a cloth covered item in front of Quentin. He gazed at it - the air was almost humming with the magic radiating off the object. “One sec,” she said, reaching her other hand in her pants pocket. She pulled out a deluminator, and with one click, the only light in the room came from the sunlight streaming in the windows, which still left the room dimly lit. It was fading fast, though, as night fell. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“It won't look as awesome as it will when it’s fully dark, but you should still be able to get most of the full effect.” She removed the cloth from the item, revealing some kind of stone. As Quentin watched, he could feel his skin tingle as the magic emanating from the rock seemed to wrap around him, warming him and making the hairs on the back of his neck stand on end. The rock shined with every shade of the rainbow, sending a glittering cascade of color on any nearby surface. “Alice,” Quentin said as he reached out a finger to rub across its smooth surface, “What is this?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“It’s a solid element of the lights,” Alice told him. “Ridiculously rare. Professor March said they are only formed in certain conditions, and I guess with the impending storm, we got lucky. He said they call it the rainbow rock… for obvious reasons,” she said, “I was manning the telescope and I noticed some kind of an… embellishment in an area of the lights. I was able to focus in on that area, and when I pulled out a sample, this rock came along with it.”  Alice’s eyes glittered as she spoke, the light from the rock playing across her blonde hair and pale skin.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“We’d pulled out several specimens from the lights, but not any solid ones - most were light beams or gases we have contained for examination at the Ministry. As soon as I touched this, I knew it was something special.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“They let you just take it back with you?” Quentin asked.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“We wound up getting several of them - once we knew what to look for, it was like the sky was littered with them. Most of them are on their way to the Ministry, but we were allowed to keep one here at Hogwarts. Professor March had me take it back with me, since he was going to visit family after the trip ended early.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Is it dangerous?” Quentin picked up the stone; it felt heavier than it looked. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Probably should have asked that question before I put my hands all over it…</span>
  </em>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>“No,” Alice said, taking it back from Quentin and holding it up in the common room, which was growing darker by the minute. As the light grew dimmer, the colors from the rock danced along the walls and ceiling in the common room, making Quentin feel almost like he was in a dance club. A sense of calm spread over him as he watched the lights flicker around the room.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>A loud meow sounded next to them, and they glanced down to see Marengo up on her hind legs, pawing at Alice’s arm. Alice squatted down, and Marengo rubbed her head along the rock. The lights seemed to grow a bit brighter at the interaction, and Marengo trilled in pleasure.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“That’s one main thing this rock seems to do,” Alice said as she started to wrap it back up in the cloth. The lights fell away from the walls, and Quentin felt a little pang of disappointment at their disappearance. “It attracts most animals - mainly magical species, in particular… unicorns.” Alice clicked the deluminator, and the lights returned back to their original level in the common room.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Quentin chuckled. “You went off on a school trip and pulled a unicorn magnet out of the sky?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Oh, I pulled a lot of shit out of the sky,” she told him smartly. “This was just the best thing.” Quentin smiled as a glimmer of the happy Alice he’d seen for most of this semester returned in her smug grin. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“We didn’t really get to test out that part of it, though. Not a lot of unicorns where we were. Professor March said we could maybe make a trip to the forest sometime in the spring. That’s so far away.” Her grin turned into a small frown. He was about to reply when he was cut off by the door to the common room opening.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Quentin! Alice!” The siblings turned to see Julia and Kady coming in, pulling Julia’s luggage behind them. Julia was still bundled up in her robe and coat, and she wrapped Quentin up in a tight hug. “Oh wow, did you finally actually do something to your hair? I love it! Man, I missed you guys.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Missed you too, Jules,” Quentin said, seeing Kady smirk at him over Julia’s shoulder. Why had no one told him he was apparently doing his hair all wrong? Julia released him and then hugged Alice. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I heard you had quite the interesting trip,” Julia told Alice as she pulled out of the hug. Julia pulled off her scarf and coat. “You found a rainbow rock?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Alice’s mouth dropped. “How did you hear about that? We just found it a few days ago.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Word travels fast in the wizard world,” Julia told her. “My mom heard about it at work. It’s been forever since more samples were found. Her whole department was buzzing.” Quentin remembered that Julia’s mother worked in the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures. “Will Hogwarts get to have one?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>In reply, Alice opened up the bundle in her hand, the lights flashing across the walls again. Julia and Kady looked in awe at the light show, and Quentin noted that even Kady had a soft smile on her face. “Wow!” Julia said.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Alice wrapped it back up and shoved it in her pocket. “I’ll hold onto it until Professor March comes back after the break.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Julia gave Alice another smile, and then turned her attention over to Quentin. Her eyes grew softer as she stepped over to him. “How are you doing?” she asked, Quentin knowing the question was way more loaded than it sounded.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I’m good,” he answered quickly, even as he knew his eyes told a different story. He was tempted to yank Julia over onto one of the soft couches and pour out the entire story of </span>
  <em>
    <span>Eliot and Quentin: The Days of Their Lives</span>
  </em>
  <span>, but a larger part of him wanted to just shove the entire thing down where it would never be heard from again. “You know you didn’t have to come back early.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Julia grinned at him, pulling her scarf off. “I didn’t come back </span>
  <em>
    <span>just </span>
  </em>
  <span>for you, you know,” she teased. “Maybe I missed my girlfriend.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Quentin smiled back at her, but it quickly faded into a sigh. “Things are kind of shitty,” he admitted to his friend. “I don’t know what to do.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Her grin faded and she picked up his hand, giving it a squeeze. “How about we go get some dinner and then we can figure it all out?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Just like that?” Quentin asked.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Just like that!” she promised. “Let me toss my stuff in my room and then we’ll head to the hall.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>After Julia returned, the group made their way to the Great Hall. Quentin’s eyes moved around the room as they took their seats - no Eliot in sight. Even with the addition of Alice and Julia, the hall seemed even more empty than it had the past week or so of break - perhaps the void Quentin felt in his heart was expanding outward to wherever he was and Eliot was not.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Conversation flowed around him as Kady told Julia and Alice all about the break-in on Christmas Eve. Alice and Julia seemed more concerned with the fact that someone had figured out how to get through the wards than the fact that someone stole something from the school. They had been debating if Fogg had sent a letter home to their parents about it (Quentin was highly doubtful), and Quentin was in the middle of lifting a bit of treacle tart to his lips when he saw him.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>His fork paused halfway up to his mouth, hovering in the air as his eyes tracked Eliot’s movements, his long legs gliding confidently across the room. Quentin’s throat went dry as Eliot sat a table away, next to a smiling Idri.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Quentin set the fork down. He couldn’t tear his eyes away from the casual indifference on Eliot’s face. He was dressed in a tight black button-down, his robe opened enough for Quentin to glimpse the wand holster stretched tight on his shoulder. Quentin’s pulse picked up as he looked at Eliot’s tie - the typical green and silver striped uniform tie. Cinched tightly in a complex knot that probably had some fanciful English name. Even when he dressed in the full uniform, he still stuck out - not only because everyone else was in casual dress, but because he radiated an aura that no one could ignore.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Suddenly, Eliot met his eyes. They stared at each other for a few seconds, and Quentin thought, knew, was certain, maybe, possibly, that the misery he felt was looking right back at him. Then Eliot turned away, nodding at Idri. Quentin watched Idri shift closer to Eliot and tilt his head to whisper in Eliot’s ear. Quentin quickly looked away, meeting Julia’s gaze as she looked at him worriedly. His taste for dessert had vanished.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He felt Alice nudge his shoulder. He looked over into her kind eyes as she gave him a small smile. “Why don’t you and Julia go catch up?” she suggested.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Quentin’s brow furrowed. “You just got back, I want to hear more about your trip and -”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Quentin, there’s not much else to tell. I still have to unpack and I’m exhausted. I’ll be asleep as soon as my head hits the pillow.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Quentin looked at his sister and then over to Julia, carefully avoiding looking in Eliot’s direction. Turning to Kady, he asked her  “Do you mind if I steal your girlfriend for a bit? I know you just got her back..” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Kady smirked at him. “You can have an hour,” she said. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Hey, don’t I get a say?” Julia asked, smiling as she stood up from her seat.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I promise I’ll make it worth your while,” Kady said, grinning wickedly at her girlfriend. Julia’s face lit up as she leaned down to peck Kady on the lips.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Alice cleared her throat, looking around the table as Quentin whispered, “Okay…” Turning to Alice, he told her, “I’ll catch up with you tomorrow? Breakfast?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Alice nodded at him as she turned back to her meal. Quentin and Julia turned and left the Great Hall. It was all Quentin could do to not look back over his shoulder. He couldn’t stand to get another glimpse of Eliot sitting so close with Idri.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>--</span>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>Alice</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Alice watched Quentin as he left alongside Julia, his shoulders slumped. Her heart went out to him - he had such a pure heart, and always seemed to get the short end of the stick. She’d give anything to see happiness in his face again.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Alice’s gaze moved across the room to where Eliot sat, his food untouched in front of him. His eyes, sad and weary, were locked on Quentin’s retreating form, staring at him like a drowning man longing for the shore. Alice had no idea what had happened between them, but it was apparent that it was far from over. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>She finished her meal and, after saying goodbye to Kady, took leave of the hall and made her way back to the Ravenclaw common room. The cold air traveled through the corridors, and Alice turned her face into it. It wasn’t as cold as it had been in Norway - the summit they had set up camp on felt like a northern tundra, even with all the warmth charms the team could muster. She loved this castle, the old stones that held so many secrets it would take years to hear them all. She easily answered the common room door’s riddle (</span>
  <em>
    <span>I am the beginning of every end, the end of every place, I am the beginning of eternity, the end of time and space. What am I?</span>
  </em>
  <span>), and stepped into the room that had easily become her new home. The soft carpet, dark blue hues, and overall peacefulness of the Ravenclaw areas soothed her busy mind. Curling up to study in one of the overstuffed armchairs was one of her favorite activities - right behind curling up to study in a quiet corner of the library.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Her shoes clicked up the hallway to her dorm, Marengo on her heels. She scratched her pet under her chin, and then set about unpacking from her trip. Alice was alone in her dorm; her three roommates were at home for break and wouldn’t be returning until the next week. Her mind wandered as she folded and hung her clothes.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Quentin had looked so sad when she’d walked into the Hufflepuff common room - he’d always had the eyes of an old soul, and she was just starting to get used to seeing a happy glint within them. Alice had really hoped things would be better for both of them at Hogwarts - a fresh start of sorts. Things hadn’t been </span>
  <em>
    <span>bad </span>
  </em>
  <span>at Ilvermorny, but they were far from great. She had learned so much at her first school, but she wanted so much more - she knew she was capable of discovering things the magical community hadn’t even yet dreamed of - she could feel it in her bones. Her goal was to leverage her last year at Hogwarts into a position at the Ministry. MACUSA was building up it’s reach, but Alice knew that with the global reputation and more centralized location of the Ministry, she’d have access to so many more resources - and she was determined do whatever it took to make sure the Quinn legacy wasn’t that of  ‘the poor wizards that blew themselves up.’</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Her thoughts stopped in their tracks as her fingers brushed something she’d buried in the bottom of her bag. Reaching in, Alice pulled out a tiny little glass case, warded and charmed to ensure the delicate item within was unharmed.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>She held the case up to her face, exhaling as her heart beat just a little bit faster. Her eyes prickled as she gazed at it. Inside, made of ice so cold and clear it could have been crystal, was the perfect image of a daisy. The glass was cool to the touch, the charm within ensuring the ice would never melt. Alice walked over to her nightstand and set the case down atop it, sitting down on her bed as she did so. It had been at the foot of her bed in her hostel in Norway, waiting for her on Christmas morning, along with gifts from Quentin and her parents. As she stared at it, she allowed memories of a cool fall night a couple of months ago to overtake her.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>Margo tugged her along the corridor, laughing as they walked towards the Ravenclaw Tower. Alice’s heart thudded in her chest as she squeezed Margo’s hand - their palms were wrapped together, fingers slotted in between each other. Margo glanced up and down the corridor, and suddenly pulled Alice into a dark classroom.</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>“Margo?” Alice asked in confusion. Her eyes adjusted to the dim light, and she recognized one of the botany labs - they were surrounded by beautiful blooms of several flowers the Herbology classes had stored in the lab. “What are we doing here?”</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>“We’ve hardly gotten to talk all night,” Margo said, her eyes flashing in Alice’s direction. “I’m just not ready to let you go quite yet.”</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>Alice smiled, pleasure and adrenaline coursing through her veins as she realized she was in a dark, secluded classroom with the person that had been invading her thoughts every minute since she’d first seen her in the Great Hall the month prior.</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>Margo had taken her breath away - her olive skin, dark hair, glittering eyes, full lips painted with dark lipstick - Alice had never felt such a physical reaction by just meeting someone’s eyes before. She could remember how her breath had quickened, her palms had grown sweaty and her thighs tightened together just from staring at her. Alice had quickly looked away, trying to focus on her imminent sorting, but she had found herself constantly drawn back to the fiery brunette who seemed as equally enthusiastic about staring at her as Alice had been about avoiding her gaze.</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>That night, Margo was clearly still riding the high of her Quidditch win over Ravenclaw - which Alice supposed she should feel a little salty over (house unity and all), but really she couldn’t give any less of a shit.  All she cared about was the ball of Slytherin fire in front of her, tightly bound in a dark black dress that showed off her every asset. Alice felt her face grow warm as her eyes traveled down Margo’s form - taking in her curves, the soft waves of her hair, and her warm brown eyes as they settled on Alice’s face.</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>“See something you like, Quinn?” Margo asked as she stopped and turned towards Alice. Alice knew this was the part where she said something suave and sexy like ‘You bet I do,’ or ‘I like everything I’m looking at’ or even just ‘Fuck yes’... but that was not how it went.</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>Alice’s mouth opened and closed as she stared at Margo, and she stammered out, “Uh, um… yes… the flowers are very pretty!” She quickly turned to a table full of colorful blossoms, leaning forward and shoving her nose into the nearest pretty bloom… which turned out to be a variation of the Iris foetidissima - aka the ‘stinking iris’ aka the ‘roast beef plant.’  A meaty smell permeated her nostrils and she coughed, jerking back quickly.</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>Laughing, Margo pulled her away from the flower, their hands still clasped, and as Alice tried not to die of embarrassment, she noticed a pot of daisies. “Oh! Daisies! Those are my favorite.” She moved closer to the pot, hoping desperately that the light was dark enough to cover the red staining her cheeks.</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>Margo drifted closer to her, looking from the flowers and Alice. “Oh yeah?” she asked, her dark gaze settling on Alice.</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>“Y-yeah,” Alice said, swallowing hard. She wanted to look at Margo, to meet her eyes, but the nerves in her belly surged. This was ridiculous. The dark classroom, the seductive glint in Margo’s eyes - there was going to be kissing. At the very least, aggressive hand holding. Incoming at any moment now. She’d kissed plenty of people before, there was no reason for her to feel so nervous about it now. </span>
  </em>
  <span>But this is different</span>
  <em>
    <span>, said the little voice in her head. You’ve never kissed anyone that made you quiver inside before.</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>“Charlie used to bring them to me,” she said quietly, delicately touching a daisy petal. “Almost every day when he was home. He said they reminded him of me… beautiful and innocent.” Her heart contracted as it did every time she thought of her brother. She pushed it away - now wasn’t the time.</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>Her eyes darted over to Margo, back to the daisies, and then back again to those soft eyes, looking at her with such reverence. “I can see that,” Margo said quietly. “You are incredibly beautiful.”</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>At this, Alice turned to Margo and fully met her gaze. The air grew thicker, warmer, enveloping Alice until she felt she might combust. Their fingers still intertwined, Margo took one step closer, and then another, to where she was so close that Alice could feel her sweet breath on her lips. Unable to stand it, Alice swayed forward and lightly brushed her lips against Margo’s.</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>The kiss held for a second, two, and then Margo tilted her head slightly, fitting their lips more firmly together. She didn’t press too hard, seemingly content to let Alice take the lead. Alice sucked lightly on Margo’s bottom lip, bringing one hand up to cradle Margo’s face. Then she felt the light touch of Margo’s tongue, and Alice opened to her, dropping Margo’s hand to grasp at her waist, pulling her closer in the dark classroom.</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>Alice felt heat sweep through her body, from her head to her toes, through her belly and settling in a warm pool right between her legs. Margo slid both of her hands up Alice’s shoulders, to her neck to hold her face in place, her hips and torso pressed full against Alice’s body. Alice could feel the heat of her body through the fabric of their dresses and robes.</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>Alice had been kissed before - but as she fell into Margo, she realized she had no idea what a kiss could be. The softness of Margo’s skin beneath her fingertips, the faint scents of Merlot and coconut invaded Alice’s senses, lightning and thunder pounding through her veins as she pulled Margo as close as she could get. </span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>Margo responded beautifully, one hand sliding around to the back of Alice’s neck while the other descended, grazing her shoulder and chest to settle under her robe, tight on her hip. Alice had no idea how long they stood in that dark classroom, discovering each other. Margo was so soft and warm, her wet tongue tracing a path from Alice’s lips down her throat, her fingers tangling and pulling at Alice’s long hair. Alice panted in Margo’s ear, trailing her lips across the sensitive outer shell of her ear. The heat was building inside Alice, and her hips grinded against Margo, trying to find some relief to the pressure rising within.</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>Margo groaned loudly, her hand sliding on Alice’s hip sliding around to just above her ass, tightening and pulling Alice harder against her. “You and these damn dresses and tights,” Margo said, a smile in her voice. “No easy access anywhere.”</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>Alice smiled, bringing her lips back to Margo’s, kissing her hard as she slid her tongue into Margo’s mouth. She pulled away after a moment, one hand tight on Margo’s shoulder while the other rubbed low on Margo’s hip. Alice rested her forehead against Margo’s, trying to catch her breath. Margo seemed to be in the same state she was, breathing hard as the hand that had been in Alice’s hair slid around to hold Alice’s wrist. “You’re one to talk,” Alice chided, pulling softly at the tight fabric of Margo’s dress.</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>Margo let out a short giggle. “You’re pretty good at this,” she told Alice, astonishment evident in her voice.</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>“You sound surprised,” Alice said, tilting her head away from Margo, looking her in the eye. It wasn’t often she had a partner the same height as her, and she fucking loved it.</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>“Yeah, well…” Margo said, licking her lips as her eyes moved down to Alice’s chest, and then quickly back up to her face. “You give off a bit of the little virgin vibe. No offense.”</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>Alice smiled, one eyebrow arching at Margo. “Happy to know I can surprise you,” she said, pushing Margo up against the edge of the closest table. The flower pots wobbled at the disturbance as Alice claimed Margo’s lips again, pulling her body tight as she felt Margo smile against her lips.</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Alice pulled herself out of the memory with a physical shake of her head. There had been a few more stolen moments together between classes, study sessions, and Quidditch practices, but that first kiss had carried Alice through the past few months. The memory ran on repeat in her mind, warming her on cold nights and shredding her apart when Margo ignored her after their duel. Alice still didn’t know what she had done wrong- should she have let Margo win the duel? Was that even the kind of relationship she wanted, one where she couldn’t be at her best with her partner?</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Sighing, Alice looked at the little card that had come with the gift - the words </span>
  <em>
    <span>‘Happy Christmas. -M’</span>
  </em>
  <span> were written in an elegant script. Nothing else. It wasn’t an apology, or anything really close to what Alice knew she deserved after the weeks of silence. But even after being ignored for the better part of a month, Alice still felt a pang of longing as she looked at the gift, as she traced her fingers over the ink printed so delicately on the parchment.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Alice placed the note on her nightstand, and then finished up her unpacking, trying to keep her mind away from Margo. After she put away her bags and changed into her pajamas, she sat in bed with an Arithmancy text- she had put so much focus on charms over break, she needed to log some quality time with her other subjects if she wanted to pass all her N.E.W.T.’s.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>She’d been studying for a couple of hours when her dorm room burst open, and Julia came striding through. Her hair was delightfully mussed, her cheeks red and her neck marked up, leaving no mistake as to what she’d been doing for the past few hours.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Alice,” she said without preamble as she sat down on her bed next to her. “I knew you’d still be up. Studying.” Julia smirked at the pile of books next to Alice on the bed. Alice set aside her textbook, on top of three others, as well as a half-full parchment and pen.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Alice shrugged. “How’s Quentin?” she asked.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Julia sighed. “A mess,” she said, looking at the frozen flower on Alice’s nightstand. Alice tensed, waiting for Julia to ask, and surprise and relief flooding her when Julia kept talking. “And Eliot is just a total… idiot. I should just lock the two of them in the Room of Requirement until they bang it out. But knowing them they’d just sit across the room from each other, just </span>
  <em>
    <span>pining </span>
  </em>
  <span>like </span>
  <em>
    <span>idiots </span>
  </em>
  <span>and refusing to talk.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Alice snorted. “Well you know Quentin’s never been great at talking about what’s bothering him.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Yeah,” Julia said listlessly, her mind seemingly elsewhere.  Then she brightened and turned to Alice, “Well- I think he’s a little bit better after talking some. I’m sure there’s still lots of sad puppy-dog eyed moping in the future. But anyway, that’s not why I came here. I need a favor.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Alice quirked an eyebrow at Julia. They had always been friendly since Julia and Quentin had become friends, but they had grown much closer after Alice had been sorted into Ravenclaw. Late nights in the common room with Julia, going over advanced Transfiguration and Potions lessons were some of her favorite nights, regardless of how much pot Julia sometimes needed to ‘truly absorb all the information.’ This was the first time she’d ever asked for a favor, though.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Of course,” Alice said.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“How’d you like to really test that rainbow rock of yours?” Julia smiled widely at Alice.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Alice’s brow furrowed. “What do you mean?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I mean - how would you like to take a trip to the forest and see a unicorn?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Alice looked at Julia contemplatively. A trip to see the unicorns would mean going into the Forbidden Forest… which was against the rules .But the opportunity to see one in person, without the confines of a research group and boundaries and regulations...</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Alice returned Julia’s smile. “I’m listening.’</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>--</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>tbc in Chapter 13: The Forbidden Forest</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0013"><h2>13. The Forbidden Forest</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Warning: While every animal comes out of this story just fine (there’s been at least two cats and two owls, and none of them are going to blow up!), this chapter contains a unicorn going through some pain. Nothing too graphic, but it may be upsetting.</p>
<p>On a lighter note: This was so fucking cathartic to write.  My favorite chapter, I think.</p>
<p>Please peep the amazing mood board made by <a href="https://www.tumblr.com/blog/view/theauditty">TheAuditty</a>.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <em></em>
  <span></span>
    </p>
<p></p><div class="center">
  <p><br/>    <br/></p>
</div><p> </p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>Alice</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Alice crept behind Julia, lights shining from the ends of both of their wands, uncovering the path through the darkness. The air was still and cold, the dark forest silent as the girls carefully stepped through the trees. Alice watched as Julia consulted the map she’d brought along. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“This way,” Julia whispered. Why, Alice didn’t know- it wasn’t like there was anyone around to hear them.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Alice asked herself again what the fuck she was doing out here. When Julia had burst into her room two days prior, asking for a favor, Alice had no idea that favor would lead to the two of them sneaking out of the castle near midnight and sneaking through the dark forest to meet up with a friend of Julia’s that needed a few strands of unicorn hair. The temptation to see, maybe touch, a real unicorn was too much, and it hadn’t taken much (or really, any) convincing from Julia to get Alice to agree to this little hike<em>—</em>she was actually a little ashamed of how easily she had said yes. She’d snuck out of her dorm a time or two, but never out of the castle, and certainly never into forbidden areas. But it was holiday break, hardly anyone was around, and they’d be in and out<em>—</em>no one would know. The fear and shame that came with the thought of getting caught was nothing compared to what she might gain if this actually worked…</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Before the fire, Alice’s room had basically been a horse shrine<em>—</em>posters covered the light yellow walls, depicting horses of every size and color (any white horse was her favorite, followed closely by pintos and Clydesdales). She’d had a collection of trinkets and figures that her family and friends had given her over the years<em>—</em>everything from little ceramic prancing horses to crystal unicorns. Some of her favorite memories of her mom revolved around Stephanie telling her stories about the unicorns she’d seen on her travels for work<em>—</em>their beautiful manes, iridescent skin, and shining horns. One day, she’d promised Alice that the next trip, she’d take Alice with her so she could see one herself. A week later, her mom was dead. And all of her posters and statues were ash.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Alice knew her borderline obsession with horses and unicorns should have been something she’d grown out of<em>—</em>but while she was forced to grow up much faster than she should have, this one childhood obsession remained. The idea of a unicorn, the ultimate magical creature, made her feel a little bit closer to the family that she lost<em>—</em>she hoped that if she could reach out and touch one, maybe it would soothe the hurt that still swirled around inside her, that sometimes felt as though it would still pull her down, even after all these years.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>And that hope had led her here tonight<em>—</em>skulking through the forbidden forest, wishing she’d paid more attention when Julia had explained exactly why her friend needed unicorn hair. But she’d been so caught up in the excitement of using the rock she’d found that, for once, she didn’t know everything about what she was doing.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>At first, when she’d agreed to the plan, and as she spent all of today in a state of anticipation for tonight (Quentin had side-eyed her more than once, wondering why she couldn’t sit still), it had felt so exciting, making her giddy, exhilarated, for the first time since… since the last time she’d kissed Margo. It had been the night before their duel; Alice was packing up her bag after spending a few hours studying in the library after dinner. She’d felt a soft hand grip her arm and pull her into the stacks near the Restricted Section, and then warm lips had covered hers as in her surprise, she’d (loudly) dropped her bag on the floor. Margo had giggled and shushed her before pulling her further into the dark shelves. Alice had allowed herself to be swept along, the thrill of breaking the rules just adding to the pleasure she felt as Margo pressed against her.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>If she’d known that would have been the last time she’d ever kiss Margo, she would have branded every sensation in her mind- the feel of that soft skin against her own, Margo’s soft sighs as Alice pressed her lips against her jaw, the cool sensation of the silk shirt Margo had underneath her robe against Alice’s fingertips. Adrenaline, pleasure, and desire had pooled in her belly and coursed through her veins, and she had relished how full of life Margo made her feel. This wasn’t her first makeout in a dark library, but it was the only one that left her head spinning.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Now, though, the thrill and adventure of breaking the rules had worn off somewhere around the second snow-covered hole she’d nearly tripped over, replaced with worry and wariness.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Ok, here’s the spot,” Julia said, coming to a stop in a clearing. She folded up her map, tucked it in her bag and pulled out a timepiece.  “She should be here any minute.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Marina?” Alice asked. The rainbow rock, secure in her robe pocket, had thudded against her leg as they had walked, and now it hung there, heavy and solid. Alice was sorely tempted to pull it out right now and see the reflection of the lights against the trees and brush, but she had no idea how the animals in the forest would react. There weren’t any animals at their exploration site in Norway, and while Marengo was attracted to the stone, Alice hadn’t had any chance to experiment more.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Which was partly why she’d agreed to this<em>—</em>she knew she should wait until Professor March arrived back, but what was the harm in just seeing what it could do?</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Yeah,” Julia said. “She just needs a few strands of hair<em>—</em>she can’t buy a new wand, but she found a contact that can try to fix her old one. It had a unicorn hair core, so she needs more for the repairs. But hair is a lot harder to buy these days… and the people that sell it, won’t sell it to Marina.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>A memory from a few months before suddenly hit Alice. “She got expelled, right?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Yeah,” Julia said. “But it wasn’t her fault. She just got in with the wrong crowd, and she was the one that got made an example of.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Why are you helping her? We could get in real trouble for this.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I know,” Julia sighed, pacing around the clearing. “I know that you guys think I had it easy all through school, but that wasn’t really the case. When I first came here… well I wasn’t really ready for it. My mom and sister were both Ravenclaws, my mom’s been at the ministry for years… it was just a lot of pressure. Marina found me crying into my books that first year, in the back of the library… she was so kind to me. She was my first friend here… I kind of had a crush on her for a while. And she eventually went her own way and I went mine, but I’ll never forget her telling me to suck it up and ‘do some goddamn magic.’” Julia giggled at the memory. “When she got kicked out, for crap in her room that I know she didn’t put there… well I just feel like I can repay her.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Alice nodded, her mind whirling. Alice loved Julia, but after spending more time with her, she could see why that sorting hat may have been hesitant about putting her in Ravenclaw. The way her eyes shined when she talked about her ambitions after Hogwarts<em>—</em>immediately working at the Ministry, maybe in the Department of Mysteries to start, moving up in the ranks to one day be Minister- her determination and drive would have fit right in the Slytherin house. It didn’t surprise Alice that Julia may be willing to excuse questionable behavior if it benefited someone she cared about.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“And you’re thinking the unicorn will just let us take it’s hair? She’s not going to hurt it, right?” Alice asked. The stone did seem to have a calming effect on at least Marengo… but she found it hard to believe that even if they attracted a unicorn, that it would just let them pluck out a few strands.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Of course not,” Julia said, seemingly offended at the notion. “Alice, I would never let anyone do anything like that. My mom said that stone can kind of enthrall a unicorn, so I’m thinking it won’t notice if we just snip off a few strands.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Alice nodded at Julia, and then looked around the clearing. The trees were sparse here, letting in the light from the stars and full moon above<em>—</em>both girls had turned off their wand lights and allowed themselves to be bathed in the moonlight. It was so bright that Alice had no trouble seeing the twigs and leaves scattered around the clearing. The sounds of birds and other critters moving through the brush met Alice’s ears, and she looked around, as if suddenly realizing that </span>
  <em>
    <span>yes, there is a whole ecosystem of magical creatures in this forest that may not be happy having strangers in their forest. Good job just wandering in aimlessly in the middle of the night.</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>A rustling sound just outside the clearing caught their attention, Alice’s heart speeding up as her head snapped in the direction of the sound. The brush moved and parted, and two figures stepped into the clearing.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The first was a slim woman around Alice’s height with dark hair pulled up into a ponytail. She was dressed all in black, her lips painted a deep red color, her eyes surveying the area with a confident ease that Alice often envied when she saw it in others. Her dark eyes came to rest on Alice and Julia, and she smiled. It was friendly enough, but Alice felt a chill run up her spine. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Hello,” she said, stepping closer. “Fancy meeting you here.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Marina, Alice thought. The second figure stepped into the clearing, and Alice felt a jolt of recognition flow through her.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Seb!” she said, her shock evident in her voice. “What are you doing here?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Yeah,” Julia said, her voice deadly. “What </span>
  <em>
    <span>are </span>
  </em>
  <span>you doing here?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Seb smiled at them<em>—</em>he appeared just as charming as Alice remembered. But here in the dark forest, with the night sky and cold winter air around them, Seb looked much more devious than he had in the bright pub in Hogsmeade. As his eyes settled on Alice, she thought he may as well be stroking his goatee or twirling his imaginary handlebar mustache. Standing next to each other, all dressed in black, Seb and Marina looked every inch the stereotypical Slytherin students that Alice had heard about when the house was discussed back at Ilvermorny. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Marina told me what she was up to. I thought it sounded like fun. Come visit Hogwarts! Or the forest, I guess.” He looked up and around the clearing, and then back to Alice. “Nice to see you again, Alice. How’s Quentin doing?” His smile was full of straight, white teeth, and the most insincere thing she had seen since that fourth-year in Divination had insisted he was not looking over her shoulder at her test.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Alice remembered seeing Quentin the day after his date with Seb<em>—</em>he’d looked wrung out, dark circles under his eyes as he forced smiles her way. She hadn’t looked any better, as she’d been reeling from Margo’s reaction to their duel, but Alice knew that date had upset him. Quentin hadn’t given up many details, just muttered something about death stars, jello shots, and stupid British boys. They’d both spent the next month leading up to Alice’s class trip trying to lose their sorrows in their textbooks.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“He’s fine,” Alice said, her voice dripping with poison. She didn’t like this. She didn’t like this </span>
  <em>
    <span>one bit</span>
  </em>
  <span>.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I’m putting my ass on the line for </span>
  <em>
    <span>you</span>
  </em>
  <span>, Marina. Not for Seb.” Julia’s eyes were narrowed, and Alice could see how unsettled she was as she looked between Marina and Seb. Alice pulled her wand from her pocket, tucking it into her sleeve<em>—</em>easy access if it was needed.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Relax.” Marina rolled her eyes. “We’ll be out of your hair before you know it.” She turned to Alice. “Provided that little trinket you pulled out of the sky does it’s job. Couldn’t believe my luck when I heard that a Hogwarts student had one. And Julia’s friend, to boot. Come on. Let’s see it.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Alice frowned, looking at Julia. “It’s fine, Alice. We’ll just collect some hair and then everyone will go home.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Alice looked at Marina, and then back to Julia. Julia wasn’t smiling, and her eyes were pleading with Alice. Alice reached in her pocket, and pulled out the cloth-covered rock. She carefully pulled away the covering, and Marina gasped as color exploded over the forest clearing.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Gorgeous reds, yellows, greens, and blues shone on every surface of the trees and forest floor. Alice looked up, and she could see the light stretching high into the sky<em>—</em>she wondered if it could be seen from the castle. She felt that same calming effect she had when she’d first held it in her hand<em>—</em>but not even that was enough to soothe the nervousness racing through her veins. Every inch of her gut was screaming at her that this was a Bad Idea.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Holy shit,” Seb said as his mouth fell open at the glorious display. Magic hummed in the air; Alice could feel it tingling through her body as the stone seemed to grow warm in her palm.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>They stood in the colorful clearing for a few minutes, bathed in the bright lights. Just as Marina opened her mouth (to complain, Alice was sure), a rustling in the bushes caught their attention.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Alice watched as a few deer padded into the clearing, their eyes on the stone. They warily eyed the group and stopped a few feet away, seemingly content to just be near it. Seeing movement out of the corner of her eye, Alice turned to see a few rabbits hopping out of the brush. Above them, the trees moved as birds flocked to the clearing. Within moments, it seemed like half of the forest animal population was around the clearing, peering at them.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Despite the numerous eyes shining at her, Alice felt no danger from the wildlife. She didn’t know how, but she just knew that they meant no harm. They were curious, drawn by the stone and the magic it emitted.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Well, we officially have a zoo,” Marina said wryly. “But no fucking unicorns.” She sighed. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Then, Alice saw something catch the light to her left. Her breath halted in her throat as through the brush came a tall, shining unicorn.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>It was more beautiful than Alice had ever imagined.  It’s clear blue eyes shone directly at her, and Alice felt as though the magical creature was looking straight into her soul. Suddenly she wasn’t in a dark forest anymore<em>—</em>she was at the dinner table, thick glasses heavy on her nose as her parents bantered back and forth about work, Charlie arching an eyebrow and smiling. She was on a swing set, rising high in the air as her mom’s hands pushed on her back and her laughter rang through the air. Her hands started to shake as images and sensations she hadn’t let herself think about in years flooded her mind. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>It took a step towards her, then two, it’s thick muscles moving with every step, until it was just an arms length away from her. It’s skin was so white it was almost blinding, their long, white horn was held high, the beautiful main and tail were shining in the rainbow light. Alice felt tears spring to her eyes as the animal lowered its head in front of her. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>With a shaking hand, she reached out, gently rubbing the unicorns muzzle. The unicorn took another small step forward, pushing harder into her palm. An astonished laugh fell from Alice’s lips as she stroked up and down their face, warm tears welling up in her eyes. The unicorn’s skin was just as soft as her mom had told her it would be.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Well, this is heart-warming and all,” Marina said, breaking Alice out of her trance. “But let’s get what we came for.”  The rainbow light still played on her face, and she took a few steps towards the unicorn.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Alice felt a wave of protectiveness slam into her, and she suddenly wanted Marina nowhere near the animal. She quickly shoved the rock back in her pocket, stepping between Marina and the unicorn.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Everyone blinked rapidly at the loss of the light, and several of the animals nearby seemed to startle. The deer, rabbits, and who even knew what else turned and ran quickly back into the forest as Julia, Seb, and Marina jumped at the sudden activity. The unicorn remained where it was, turning its head so it’s blue eyes stayed on Alice. It swayed a little in its place<em>—</em>almost as if it was a bit drunk. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Marina glared at Alice. “Move.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Marina,” Julia said, off to the side.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Marina ignored her as Alice stared her down. “I’ll get it,” Alice snapped. Then she turned back to the unicorn, placing a hand on the animal’s back as Alice looked into those bright blue eyes. The animal stared back at Alice<em>—</em>a haziness in its eyes<em>—</em>and then dipped down its head. Alice took this as permission, and moved around to the tail. Using her wand, she snipped off several strands, handing them to Marina.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Marina took them and placed them in a small baggie, tucking it securely in her bag. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“You have what you need,” Alice said. “Now go.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Not yet,” Seb said. “We don’t quite have </span>
  <em>
    <span>everything </span>
  </em>
  <span>we need.” He took a few steps closer to the unicorn, which observed them unsteadily. The stone must have had a more drastic effect on it- Alice knew that normally a unicorn would never allow so many people to be so close.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Julia’s eyes snapped to Seb. “That wasn’t the deal,” she said, quickly moving to stand next to Alice. “I said I’d help you, Marina, to get you closer to the unicorn once you made it through the wards. For all the help you gave me when I first got to school, and because you didn’t deserve what you got. But this wasn’t what I agreed to.” Julia’s eyes darted between Seb and Marina before settling on Marina, her tone resolute.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“How did you get through the wards?” Alice asked, hoping to keep them talking. Alice had no idea what Seb’s plans were, but she knew they weren’t good<em>—</em>if she could just keep him occupied until the unicorn came back to itself, it could escape. Plus, she was honestly interested. The wards didn’t extend all the way through the forest, but the group was still close enough to the school grounds that only students and faculty should be able to access the part of the forest they were in.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I had a back door, so to speak.” Marina smiled, and it chilled Alice to the bone. “And I thought it would be harder to get it into the oldest wizarding school in the world- turns out you just need a lonely nerd and a little bit of secret wizarding technology.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Alice recalled the break-in Kady had told them about over dinner- the one on Christmas Eve.  “It was you,” she said, realization pouring over her. “You broke into the Headmaster’s office… to get your old wand?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“It was stupid easy. Kind of like a trojan horse<em>—</em>your little brother did the honors for us, actually. Took our little magical diffuser right into the school, where it waited for us to activate it. Tell him thanks for me, would you?” Marina flashed another sly smile at Alice, and Alice’s hand twitched at the thought of blasting it right off her stupid face.  Turning to Seb, she commented, “I can’t believe your ridiculous Star Wars obsession actually came in handy.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Alice glanced at Julia- her face was ashen, her mouth hanging open as she stared at Marina. Alice felt a flicker of pity for her<em>—</em>Julia truly had no idea what Marina was capable of. Alice didn’t know what ‘back door’ Marina was talking about, but she’d figure it out later<em>—</em>right now she needed to get them off the grounds and away from the unicorn, before someone got hurt. Or, even worse, expelled.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Alice faced Marina and Seb, standing up straighter and tossing back her shoulders. She allowed her wand to fall out of her sleeve and into her hand, but kept her arm hanging loosely by her side. The unicorn still stood behind her<em>—</em>Alice took another step backwards, until she could feel it’s warm flank against her back. It snorted softly in her direction, and pressed its body against her.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Go. Now,” she said forcefully. Seb and Marina looked at each other, exchanging a look.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“This is really cute and all, but you need to get out of the way. I need that unicorn blood, and I’m not leaving until I get it.” Seb took another step towards Alice, his face menacing. Alice heard Julia gasp next to her.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“You<em>-</em>you can’t do that,” Julia said. Alice looked at her, noticing that she now also held her wand. “The centaurs will be here in a second if you hurt a unicorn in the forest. What do you even need it’s blood for??” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Seb sighed in irritation. “Not that it matters to you, but I have people willing to pay good money for it. And I am well aware of the centaurs, and that’s why this needs to be done quickly.” Seb focused squarely on Alice, his eyes narrowing. “Now step aside before I make you.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>At this, Alice pointed her wand at Seb. “I guess you’re going to have to make me.” She stood defiantly, desperately hoping she looked more intimidating than she felt inside- which was so terrified she was amazed she was able to hold her wand steady. But beyond the terror, she felt a certainty that she had to make sure this animal walked out of the forest unharmed - she had been too young to protect her family. But this… this she could do. And she would, even if it was the last thing she did.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>She focused on evening out her breathing<em>—</em>if things did come to blows, she had to have her wits about her.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Seb gave her a resigned look. “Don’t say I didn’t warn you.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Without a word, Alice began carving the air with her wand at the same time Seb started moving. A stunner flew out of Alice’s wand, but Seb dodged it, while simultaneously sending one Alice’s way. Alice and Julia jumped out of the line of fire, but the unicorn stayed right where it was- and then it fell to the forest floor as the stunning spell hit it square in the flank.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“No!” Alice cried out, and then she was suddenly unable to move, frozen in place. Seb’s wand was pointed at her- he had hit her with a freezing charm. All Alice could do was look as Seb smiled grimly at her. Marina had her hand over her mouth as she stared at Julia, who was unconscious on the ground next to the unicorn. Seb must have gotten her as well- he was ridiculously fast with his casting.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Alice’s breath came hard and fast- how had everything gotten so fucked? Alice looked desperately at Marina, whose eyes were wide as she looked from Julia to Seb.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“This-this wasn’t how it was supposed to go,” she said quickly, swallowing hard. Alice thought she almost looked distraught. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Good</span>
  </em>
  <span>, she thought. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Fuck you</span>
  </em>
  <span>.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Yeah well, you should have told me this chick was a horse girl. I would have just stunned her as soon as the unicorn came in.” Seb knelt down next to the unicorn, aiming his wand at her neck. Alice closed her eyes, tears falling unimpeded down her cheek, as the unicorn whimpered in pain. She couldn’t watch as Seb sliced into the poor defenseless animal.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I didn’t know!” Marina said. “You’re the one that dated her brother!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Seb was almost clinical in his movements, removing a few jars from his pocket as he laid his wand down on the ground next to him. “Yeah, one date that you made sure to ruin before I could close the deal. We’re lucky he didn’t throw out the diffuser.” He leaned down, angling the jar to collect the silver blood starting to spill down the unicorn’s neck. The animal was breathing heavily, it’s eyes closed as more whimpers spilled from its mouth. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Every sound from the unicorn sent a sharp bolt of agony through Alice’s body. She may have been frozen in a dark, lush forest, but in her mind she was running down the sidewalk, feet slapping against the pavement, dark green flames engulfing her house, voices yelling, that fucking </span>
  <em>
    <span>acrid </span>
  </em>
  <span>smell on the air, so many wizards with wands out, muggles watching, casting but the inferno just raged higher, the heat was blistering, she had to get in, her parents were in there, </span>
  <em>
    <span>Charlie </span>
  </em>
  <span>was in there, she had just been down the street, she should have been here, with them, she was almost inside, then strong arms around her middle, pulling her away, away from her family, </span>
  <em>
    <span>let me go</span>
  </em>
  <span>, the smoke and heat overpowering, stark sounds that she realized were coming from her mouth, her hair floating in front of her, black at the ends...</span>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>Focus. </span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Alice pulled herself back into </span>
  <em>
    <span>now</span>
  </em>
  <span>; her wand was frozen in her hand, her mind screaming </span>
  <em>
    <span>Finite Incantatem</span>
  </em>
  <span> over and over, but she was so fucking angry she couldn’t channel her magic. </span>
  <em>
    <span>How could I have been so stupid. </span>
  </em>
  <span>She had to focus, she had won an entire duel without saying a word, </span>
  <em>
    <span>breathe and focus</span>
  </em>
  <span>, she had to just-</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Get the </span>
  <em>
    <span>fuck </span>
  </em>
  <span>away from them.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The voice came from behind the unicorn, so familiar but she couldn’t place it. She tried to look in that direction, but without being able to turn her head, she couldn’t see who it was.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Alice heard Seb make an annoyed sound. “What the fuck are you-”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Seb’s voice cut off as he was suddenly blasted past Alice, landing on his ass in front of her, unconscious. Marina, who had turned to run as soon as Seb had been blasted, was also knocked off her feet, landing next to Seb.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The same voice muttered “Finite Incantatem” and suddenly Alice’s limbs were under her control again. She fell to her knees, unprepared for the sudden need to adhere to gravity. She scrambled back to her feet, turning to see who her savior was.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Eliot looked down at her<em>—</em>his hair disheveled, shirt untucked under a dirty cloak, looking like he’d just spent an hour traipsing through the forest.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Eliot!” Julia said in surprise as she got to her feet. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Julia,” Eliot said, staring daggers at Seb and Marina. “What the fuck are the two of you doing out here?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Alice rushed over to the unicorn, silver blood starting to pulse more profusely from the open wound. She pulled off her robe and pressed it down to the unicorn’s neck. “Help me!” Alice said to Julia, tears falling down her face. She could stop this, she could </span>
  <em>
    <span>fix this</span>
  </em>
  <span>.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Julia came to Alice’s side, applying pressure with her hands on Alice’s robe, trying to help stop the bleeding. “I- I don’t know,” Julia said to Eliot, who still had his wand trained on an unconscious Seb and Marina. They would be rousing at any moment. “I didn’t- I didn’t -”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“You didn’t think!” Alice told her, sniffling. “We need help.” She lifted her wand, removing her robe from the unicorn’s neck. Hand trembling, she said, “Vulnera Sanentur.” Magic flowed through her, but the cut on the unicorn's neck did not heal. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Julia placed the robe back on the cut, pressing hard. “You can’t heal a unicorn with basic healing spells,” she told her. Alice knew this… but she had to try. “How did you find us?” Julia asked Eliot.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I saw you guys go into the forest from the Astronomy Tower. Figured you’d get yourselves into some kind of trouble, but honestly, I never imagined the Head Girl would be bringing an expelled student on to the grounds.” Eliot still had his wand trained on Seb and Marina, but he turned to peer down at Julia, whose face flushed anew at Eliot’s words.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I - I didn’t … I just wanted to help her,” Julia said, tears trailing down her face.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Marina is beyond help,” Eliot snapped. “How are you not a Gryffindor? You’re headstrong and idiotic enough to be.” Eliot looked down at his feet. “You owe me a new pair of shoes by the way<em>—</em>these are absolutely ruined.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Alice ignored their conversation, focusing on the unicorn. She ran through her spells in her head, but she had stopped taking Care of Magical Creatures after fifth year, choosing to focus on other subjects. “We can’t fix this,” she said, struggling for breath, watching the house collapse in on itself, hearing the gasps of the crowd, feeling Quentin’s arms around her as she fell to her knees in the street.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“No,” Julia said. “And we’re about to have bigger problems.” Turning, Alice saw Seb and Marina coming around. Eliot aimed his wand and opened his mouth, Alice assumed to stun them again, when shouts were heard in the far distance. Eliot’s head jerked in the direction of the noises.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Who is that?” Alice said, looking around. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Julia’s eyes were wide as she looked up at Eliot. “It’s got to be the centaurs. Shit.” Eliot returned her distressed gaze as he swallowed hard.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“So,” he said. “I assume they are the sexy type of Centaurs that will immediately know we are the good guys and praise us for our excellent and courageous handling of this situation?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Oh, they’re sexy,” Julia said quickly. “But more likely to fight first and ask questions later when they find someone hovering over a bleeding unicorn in their forest.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Well, at least I’ll finally be able to solve the mystery of if the important parts are human or horse… or maybe both?” Eliot tried to smile, but Alice could see the fear in his eyes.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Coming to a decision, Alice closed her eyes. She reached one hand out to the unicorns muzzle, feeling it press back against her palm, warm and alive. She inhaled deeply, forcing herself to disappear off that neighborhood street, where the sky was blacked out with smoke. She was </span>
  <em>
    <span>here </span>
  </em>
  <span>now, under the stars, among a forest full of magical creatures, where a real live unicorn had nuzzled into her palm. It’s warm blue eyes gazed at her like she hung the moon, the first tears of happiness she’d ever shed in her life streaming down her face. She imagined telling her mom about it, her bright smile, her warm embrace as she smoothed down Alice’s hair and told her she always knew that when she met a unicorn, the real honor would be on the unicorn’s end. Her brother cheerfully ribbing her about how he could show it her horse collection, emotion crashing over her head, then the unmistakable cresting of her magic swelling up inside of her. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Alice opened her eyes as she pointed her wand and said, “Expecto Patronum!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>A strong stream of magic poured out of her wand, and Julia and Eliot turned to see a small, lively unicorn prance about in front of Alice. It trotted up to her face, and then galloped in a circle around her, coming to a stop a foot in front of Alice as it awaited instruction. Alice laughed, tears in her eyes again as she reached out, her hand moving through the hazy magic.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Go - go to Headmaster Fogg,” she said. “Tell him we’re in the Forbidden Forest, and a unicorn has been hurt. He has to HURRY.”  Her patronus turned and flew in the direction of the castle.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Fuck,” Eliot swore. “We’ll all get expelled if we’re caught out here.” The shouts were heard again, louder this time.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“What choice do we have, Eliot? Expulsion or killed by Centaurs?” Alice asked angrily. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“No one is getting killed<em>—</em>where- where is Marina?” Julia said alarmingly, her eyes moving quickie around the clearing. The trio turned away from the unicorn, to where the two intruders had been laying - the forest floor was bare, with no sign of them. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Eliot turned, searching the area. “Fuck!” he cursed, a hand through his hair. “How does that motherfucking coward ALWAYS get away clean?” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“He won’t,” Alice said, pressing her robe back over the unicorn's wound. “Not this time.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Eliot stopped, his hand falling to his side as he looked at Alice, sniffling while putting pressure on the injury. His gaze turned to Julia, who had one hand rubbing Alice’s back, and the other gently patting the unicorn’s flank. In the air, they could hear a few more shouts in the distance. And, very faintly, what sounded like hooves pounding their way.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“No,” Eliot said quietly. “And he’s not taking anyone else down either.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Julia looked up at Eliot questioningly.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“You need to go,” he told her. “Both of you. Go back to the castle. Now.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Alice looked up at him in confusion, wiping away her tears. “No,” she said. “We’re not leaving you to deal with our mess.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Yes, you are, “ Eliot said. “Look, Fogg is on his way. He’ll deal with the centaurs. They won’t kill me on sight if they see me helping the unicorn, right?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I don’t fucking know Eliot, but we’re not leaving you! This is my fault,” Julia stood up, walking right in front of Eliot. “You may be a dick sometimes, but you’re not a bad person. This is my mess to answer for.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“No, it’s not. You are Head Girl, Julia. This will ruin you. And you, Alice… you just made one mistake. Look, I fucked up years ago by protecting Seb. This is </span>
  <em>
    <span>my </span>
  </em>
  <span>fault. He never would have had the chance to do this if not for me. Please go. Let me do this.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Julia gaped at Eliot, who stared back at her with such earnestness it brought fresh tears to Alice’s eyes (</span>
  <em>
    <span>Seriously how much am I going to cry tonight?</span>
  </em>
  <span>). “There you are,” Julia whispered as she gazed up at him.  At Eliot’s questioning look, she said, “There’s the man Quentin has turned himself inside out for.” An unreadable look passed over Eliot’s face as he flushed and looked down to the ground.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Julia turned to Alice, who looked down at the unicorn. “I can’t leave her,” she said, her voice catching.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Eliot knelt down next to her, replacing Alice’s robe on the unicorn’s neck with his own. “I will take care of her,” he said gently. He pushed Alice’s robe into her arms as he glanced down at the injury. “She's not bleeding as much. I will make sure Fogg and the centaurs heal her. Now go. Both of you. Please.” His eyes begged Alice. “Alice, I owe you. Let me do something right, for once.” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Alice gave him a confused look, not understanding. Then she nodded, slowly standing up. She staggered on uncertain legs, dizzy, overwhelmed with the last few minutes. She tugged on Julia’s hand. “Let’s go.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Julia turned to Eliot as Alice pulled her away. “I - I…”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Julia. It’s fine. Please go,” Eliot said. “And tell no one.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Oh,” Julia called out as she and Alice were almost out of the clearing. “You bet your ass I’m going straight to Quentin as soon as we’re back in the castle.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>And then Alice was traipsing, running through the forest, Julia stumbling behind her in what she was pretty sure was the direction of the castle. Even as her legs carried her to freedom, she couldn’t shake the feeling that she’d left her heart behind, bleeding out on the forest floor.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>--</span>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>Eliot</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Eliot stared at the dark forest that Julia and Alice and disappeared into, Julia’s last words echoing through his mind. His attention was drawn back to the unicorn, snorting and moving it’s legs in a half-hearted attempt to get up. He patted her on the muzzle as she whimpered, those large, panicked blue eyes meeting his sad hazel ones.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Shhh,” he whispered to the animal, gently stroking it’s neck. “Help is on the way.” He kept his voice low and soothing, remembering how some of the horses back home would respond well when he kept his tone calm. It seemed to work, as the unicorn ceased it’s leg movement, laying it’s large head back down against the grass, it’s breath still coming in hard, uneven bursts.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The sound of hoofbeats had been rapidly growing louder, and suddenly they pounded in his ears. And then they stopped, replaced by the sound of harsh breathing that Eliot recognized as his own. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The centaurs were here.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Eliot steeled himself, wand in his hand. Sucking in a breath as he slowly rose to his feet, memories flashed through his mind. This wasn’t where he thought his night would end up when he climbed up to the Astronomy Tower, but he always did love a good plot twist.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Not really enjoying the ones that may end with death by centaur, though.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>Although</span>
  </em>
  <span>, he thought crazily, </span>
  <em>
    <span>in the betting pool of how Eliot Waugh would kick the bucket, being trampled to death by sexy man horses probably had decent odds.</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>How had he even gotten here? He’d been minding his own business on top of the Astronomy Tower, smoking a cigarette, getting drunk off his endless flask, torturing himself by replaying his last two encounters in that tower with Quentin in his mind, over and over. Talking to his heart, trying to make it explain why the fuck it had decided that the dorkiest American Hufflepuff was it for him. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Love</span>
  </em>
  <span>. What. The. Fuck.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Eliot Waugh did not love. Well, he didn’t </span>
  <em>
    <span>fall in </span>
  </em>
  <span>love. He loved, that was true. He loved Margo, from the first moment they had both been sorted into Slytherin and she plopped down next to him at the wooden table, telling him how amazing his hair was (at 11, his curls, having been thus far untouched by luxury hair care products, were rather ferocious) and how she had the perfect pomade that would make him look absolutely fabulous.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He loved crumpets with orange-blueberry marmalade. The first time he’d put the decadent pastry in his mouth was when he was 14 and Margo’s parents had finally allowed him to spend breaks at their home, instead of going back to the ass-end of Wales to spend Christmas miserable with his drunk, abusive father, where the most elegant dessert he’d ever had was stale cookies with goats milk.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He loved his vintage vest, a bespoke piece that he’d found at a thrift store in London last summer, when he and Margo had ported over for a few days of fun and shopping. It was a beautiful tan fabric overlaid with burned velvet golden velvet fleur de lis, and while he didn’t get many chances to break it out at Hogwarts, it traveled with him wherever he went.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>But </span>
  <em>
    <span>falling </span>
  </em>
  <span>in love? No. His heart had only touched the possibility once before, when he was 16 and Mike McCormick looked at him and Eliot knew he would die a happy death drowning in those bright blue eyes. Thankfully Mike showed his true colors before Eliot could do more than contemplate the notion, and since then he had sworn off the entire thing. He and Margo - they were going to finish out their last year at Hogwarts with a fun fling or two, and then take London by storm. His bedpost was blank (well, close enough) and ready to be filled with all the notches.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>But then this brown-eyed, floppy-haired American had walked into the Great Hall, and Eliot had felt a fire in his belly that spent the next four months consuming him, body and soul. He could still remember how lost Quentin had looked in the Great Hall, so out of-place as he towered over the first-years. Then their eyes had met, and Eliot somehow felt grounded and like he was spiraling into the ether all at once. A jolt of electricity seared through him, and he knew he’d eyed up Coldwater in a way that was most improper for the Great Hall, with all of its wizarding history and pomp and circumstance. When Margo asked why he couldn’t stop staring at Quentin, he had told her he couldn’t believe anyone still thought that parting their hair right down the middle was anything close to a good fashion choice, but he was really imagining how soft it would be in between his fingers, caressing, tugging as he claimed Quentin’s lips as his own.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>When Quentin had stepped up to be sorted, Eliot had wiped his sweaty palms on his robes as he’d imagined getting to know him<em>—</em>in all kinds of ways<em>—</em>in the Slytherin common rooms, the dorms… but then Quentin had been sorted into Hufflepuff.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>And that had been that. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Eliot had sworn off Hufflepuffs - way too much baggage wrapped up in those gold and black badgers. Seriously, badgers? Talk about the stupidest mascot ever. He’d walked out of the Great Hall ready to spend his year thinking about anyone that wasn’t adorable in a horribly nerdy way, with eyes that were somehow gentle and dramatic all at the same time.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>And his resolve remained solid.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Even when, later that night, Quentin had called Eliot out, using Eliot’s own words against him, those brown eyes stormy and annoyed, looking much more the angry dog than the gentle puppy that Eliot had first thought of when he’d seen Quentin curled up on the Ravenclaw couch.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Even when that damn potion had exploded all over Quentin, literally drenching him in fruitiness, leaving Eliot with a surprisingly fierce desire to ease the panic and embarrassment he’d seen on Quentin’s face. He had reasoned that he was just helping the new kid - Eliot may be a Slytherin, but that didn’t mean he couldn’t be friendly. He would just do it in his own way, which apparently was sneaking back into the Potions lab during dinner to leave an anonymous note with exact instructions on brewing a successful peach cough potion. And peach… the last time Eliot had smelled a flavor that strong was when Professor Brzezinski made everyone sniff the Amortentia he’d made. Eliot had gotten an intense peach smell, with an underlying scent of parchment, or maybe it was just books in general, and then a slight whiff of the cheap bar soap he’d been forced to use at home. His nose had wrinkled- what a horrid fucking palette for what would supposedly attract him to someone. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Even when he’d looked at Quentin across the Slytherin common room, a shining beacon in the dark shadows that Slytherin was so fond of being known for, looking so adorably out of his element (and since when did </span>
  <em>
    <span>adorable </span>
  </em>
  <span>do it for him? Sure, sexy and unaware was a glorious combo, but adorably awkward was apparently a box that Quentin was the first to check on Eliot’s bingo card of turn-ons), Eliot had found himself settling in and starting up a conversation before he’d even realized he was doing it. Completely ignoring Idri in the process, who had made it </span>
  <em>
    <span>quite </span>
  </em>
  <span>clear he was ready and willing for whatever kind of fling Eliot may need to take his mind off anyone in the general vicinity.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Even when that same night, watching Quentin’s hands on his wand, the tip of his pink tongue sometimes slipping between his lips (and he couldn’t even START on the boys oral fixation, Eliot was still recovering from watching him suck down a sugar quill with such gusto it was apparent he had NO gag reflex), the utter confidence on his face as he’d seamlessly repaired completely destroyed objects with hardly a flick of his wrist. Eliot hadn’t been able to resist feeling that compact little body up against his on the Slytherin couch, wrapping his hand around Quentin’s wrist and fingers, the charge and heat between them reaching an almost dizzying level as he’d felt the magic from Quentin’s wand blaze through him, mingle with his own and shoot straight to his cock, leaving him almost literally running from the room to escape himself before he tossed Quentin down on the couch and had his way with him right there, audience be damned. After that night he’d tried his hardest to stay as far away from Quentin as possible, as he doubted his own ability to control himself around Hufflepuffs that didn’t seem as timid as they had at first glance.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Even when he’d seen Seb talking to Quentin in Hogsmeade. The jealousy and anger had nearly split him in two, when Seb had turned on his stool and given him that same fucking shit-eating grin he had when Eliot had realized that he was about to get caught by Fogg in the potions lab years ago. That same superior look in his eyes that he’d had when Eliot had walked into the Room of Requirement to find Seb balls deep in </span>
  <em>
    <span>his</span>
  </em>
  <span> boyfriend. He couldn’t handle it, so he had bolted, and he’d dealt with Margo’s wrath all the way down the road to the Hog’s Head. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>His resolve though, had truly started to unravel during the duel. Eliot had been terrified to contend with anyone (he was a lover, not a fighter), and when Mayakovsky, in all his dickishness, had pitted him against Quentin, his only goal had been to survive. He hadn’t been prepared to have the most fun he’d ever had at Hogwarts, staring down the business end of Quentin’s wand and into those clear eyes, now confident, light, intense, and fucking </span>
  <em>
    <span>hungry</span>
  </em>
  <span>. He could still feel Quentin’s hand in his when he’d helped him up; the thrill of finally getting to touch him had nearly overloaded Eliot, as even now his fingers flexed at the memory. Then, that moment when Quentin’s spine had straightened and he’d haughtily told Eliot he could handle plenty, that was when Eliot knew he was truly done for. That was when he’d start to get… pathetic.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>When Quentin had been </span>
  <em>
    <span>out </span>
  </em>
  <span>on a </span>
  <em>
    <span>date </span>
  </em>
  <span>with </span>
  <em>
    <span>Seb </span>
  </em>
  <span>that he’d gotten a </span>
  <em>
    <span>pass </span>
  </em>
  <span>for (any chance that Eliot had at a weekend pass had disappeared as soon as Fogg had caught him in that darkened hallway outside of the potions lab), he’d driven Margo mad with his pacing around the common room until she’d basically kicked him out, telling him to go walk the halls before she let her cat loose in his closet. So he’d hung around the entrance hall, getting a few odd looks from passing students as he claimed to be grabbing a snack from the kitchens. For an hour or two until he heard the familiar pop of someone porting in. Only to have Quentin go on and on about how much </span>
  <em>
    <span>fun </span>
  </em>
  <span>he’d had, not only with </span>
  <em>
    <span>Seb </span>
  </em>
  <span>but with </span>
  <em>
    <span>Mike</span>
  </em>
  <span>, who was apparently still hanging out with Seb, well </span>
  <em>
    <span>good for him</span>
  </em>
  <span>.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He’d wallowed pitifully for the next month, thinking of Seb and Quentin and all the amazing dates he was sure they were having, arguing with Margo over her mooning about blonde, beautiful Alice, who had completely stripped her in that duel. He had insisted that there was </span>
  <em>
    <span>no way</span>
  </em>
  <span> Alice liked Margo near as much as Margo seemed to like her (and where had </span>
  <em>
    <span>that </span>
  </em>
  <span>come from, apparently socially inept American nerds were both of their Achilles heel), all the while ignoring the niggling doubt that maybe his anti-Alice stance had more to do with the fact that he just didn’t want to be miserably alone all by himself.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He’d gone up to the Astronomy Tower to allow himself one more night of wallowing before he pulled himself out of this funk by whatever means necessary (and if that meant making out with Idri, well, sacrifices had to be made somewhere) when he’d literally stumbled on the source of his sleepless nights on top of the Astronomy Tower, completely blitzed, all wide dark eyes as he’d gazed up at Eliot like he was the single answer to a question Quentin hadn’t even known to ask. When he’d asked Eliot to stay, and they had an actual conversation, Eliot had felt that little spark of hope he hadn’t allowed himself to acknowledge flicker into a flame when Quentin had asked him to hang out the next day.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>And then, then Quentin had said they could be… friends.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Fine. That was fine. If Quentin wasn’t interested in him romantically, they could be friends. Totally a thing that could happen. What could go wrong?</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>That wasn’t going to stop him from trying his best, though. He’d put on one of his favorite outfits, ignoring the fact that wearing anything gold went against his whole ‘Hufflepuffs are horrible’ motif from the past two years, and headed out to get his cloak full of Kneazle fur and his heart full of Quentin Coldwater. Listening to Quentin talk about his past while the most elegantly morose Thestrals looked on was the point where he tipped over from crush into </span>
  <em>
    <span>feelings,</span>
  </em>
  <span> and just holding Quentin's hand was the largest amount of restraint Eliot had ever exhibited, as all he’d wanted to do was tuck Quentin under his chin, wrap his arms around him and make sure he never felt so alone again in the entirety of his existence.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Well, he hadn’t done that. Instead he’d poured out his own sob story about his journey to Hogwarts, a story </span>
  <em>
    <span>no one</span>
  </em>
  <span> knew beyond the Headmaster, although he was pretty sure Margo had some idea from the tidbits he’d dropped about his life before her. And as soon as he’d realized exactly what he’d done, he’d fled back to the castle as fast as his feet could carry him.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He’d spent the rest of the day internally (and a little externally, as his tangled curls could attest to) freaking out- he had crossed his own line, he knew it, and he didn’t know what to do about it. He was falling ridiculously hard and fast for a Hufflepuff he’d had maybe two conversations with and who had made it clear he only wanted to be friends and when Eliot looked in the mirror who even was the man staring back at him?</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Kady had suggested a poker game, and he thought it was a great idea to keep his mind occupied. But of course Kady had invited Quentin<em>—</em>and it turned out Quentin had more surprises up his sleeve. The confident card shark that faced off against Eliot that cold winter’s night did nothing to douse his feelings. That night, where he had to forcibly stop himself multiple times from yanking Quentin across the poker table and up into his room, only made certain his feelings would soon completely engulf him. He wasn't too upset that Mayakoysky had busted them<em>—</em>Eliot had been bluffing on the last hand; he still wasn't sure what had possessed him to bet his entire pot on two pair with a wild card on the table. Well… maybe he did know. He had wanted to drag out the hand as long as he could<em>—</em>Quentin had seemed to zero in on only him in that final hand, the confident gleam in his eye flashing as he stared Eliot down, Eliot's cock at half-mast before the cards were even dealt. After the students (and a drunk Mayakovsky) had left that night, Eliot knew he could not go another day without kissing Quentin. Or humiliating himself trying.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He’d tried in the library, feeling 100% a complete idiot as Quentin stared at him and Eliot could only open and close his mouth, talking inanely about studying or what the fuck ever until Zelda came in and ruined his efforts (or rather, rescued him from himself). He hardly remembered leaving the library, but he was pretty sure he’d left a scattering of books on the floor in his wake. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He’d finally just gone back up to the Astronomy tower that night, hoping that maybe Quentin would show up, and he’d been there hardly five minutes when he’d heard the soft footsteps behind him. And he’d lasted hardly another five before basically mauling Quentin to the floor.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>And he had imagined<em>—</em>basically non-stop since that evening<em>—</em>what would have happened if </span>
  <em>
    <span>fucking </span>
    <span>Se</span>
  </em>
  <span><em>b</em> (the ultimate cockblock) hadn’t gotten into a firefight with Mayakovsky and broken the goddamn wards. At least some good had come from stalking his classmates into the forbidden forest; Eliot had heard enough of their conversation as he approached the forest clearing, had waited long enough to gather his wits before bursting on the scene, to hear Marina confirm that they had been behind the break-in. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Would things have continued that night at the tower? Would Quentin have stopped them? Eliot knew he certainly wouldn’t have. He basically had a spiritual awakening at the first touch of Quentin’s lips on his<em>—</em>he’d never felt so content, safe, wanted, and fucking alive in his life. Those moments of Quentin's body crushed against his, soft whimpers and garbled noises spilling into Eliot's mouth, Quentin's hot little hands untucking Eliot's shirt and dancing up the skin of his back- <em>—</em>those memories kept Eliot awake at night, rutting into his mattress.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Would Quentin have come with him back to his room? Spent the night sweating in his sheets, waking up in his arms the next morning?</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>But he did know the answer to those questions, Eliot reminded himself. Quentin had told him as much the next night<em>—</em>Eliot was never someone he could love. And </span>
  <em>
    <span>love</span>
  </em>
  <span>. Jesus. Eliot hadn’t meant for that word to come anywhere near him, but it was falling out his mouth before he could even think about it. And he knew,</span>
  <em>
    <span> he knew</span>
  </em>
  <span> it was true<em>—</em>they may not have spent years together (fuck, not even a month?), but they had bared enough of their souls for Eliot to know he loved, he loved, he loved him.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>But it didn’t matter. Eliot’s meddling in Margo and Alice’s love life (something he would rectify as soon as possible, he promised himself) and his completely horrible attempt to convey to Quentin that he loved him partly because of his flaws (or what Eliot considered to be his flaws, which… he’d come to realize were anything but) had been too much for Quentin, and he’d been soundly rejected.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>And that was why he had been on the top of the Astronomy tower, fucking wallowing </span>
  <em>
    <span>again </span>
  </em>
  <span>on a freezing cold night (even the warmth charm he used was just another reminder of Quentin), when he’d looked down to the forest’s edge and spotted the two women he was fairly certain were the most important people in Quentin’s life, just strolling into the Forbidden Forest like it wasn’t the most dangerous thing they could be doing near midnight during a full moon. Eliot didn't think there was any validity to the rumors of an acromantula colony outside Hogwarts, but he had no desire to find out.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>There hadn’t been a question, really<em>—</em>no matter of Quentin’s feelings for him, if he had a chance to make sure Quentin was spared any pain, Eliot was going to take it. Fuck, one makeout session and he was more whipped than the butter his mom would sell at the local market on Sunday’s (always for selling, never for the family table).</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>So he let his feet carry him through the castle, across the grounds and into the forest, attempting to follow the two Ravenclaw’s path when this blazing rainbow light came suddenly streaming through the forest. After that, he just had to follow the forest animals like some fucking Disney princess singing about the colors in the wind to find four wizards with wands pointed at each other, a stunned unicorn on the ground, and all hell breaking loose.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>And now, he had the chance to make up for his silence years ago when Fogg had asked whose idea it had been to break into the potions lab. He could have prevented all of this. To this day, he still didn’t know why he had protected Seb. Eliot had been more than a bit enamored with the older student, which was why he had agreed to help him in the first place. But he should have known better. Twice in his life, Seb had gotten the better of him. He’d be damned if he let Seb hurt people he cared about. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Shaking away his memories, the bare earth beneath his very dirty shoes, Eliot slowly turned, getting his first full look at the Centaurs.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Three of them stood before him, a man’s torso from their head to their waist, connected to a horse’s body. Each stood on four legs, a few inches taller than Eliot. They were… quite attractive, for a half man, half-horse, Eliot noted. Each had a six-pack, the one in the middle at least an eight-pack. </span>
  <em>
    <span>How do they do sit-ups?</span>
  </em>
  <span> Eliot wondered idly. One stepped forward, revealing an attractive face, looking curiously down at Eliot.  He held a large spear in one hand, and Eliot glanced at it, gulping. The other two held bows in their hands, a full quiver strapped to each of their backs. None were holding their weapons as if they were ready to deliver a blow, but Eliot knew that could change at any moment.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“H-Hi,” Eliot stuttered, his heart thumping so hard he was sure they could all hear it. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Eliot Waugh,” the centaur said, peering down at him. “Why are you in our forest, with a wounded unicorn at your feet?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Eliot’s eyes widened in surprise at the centaur knowing his name. He spoke quickly, glancing back at the unicorn, with his cloak over her neck. “I- I didn’t do that,” he said. “I was trying to help her.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“So we saw,” the centaur said. “Our scout saw quite a bit before we arrived.” One of the other centaurs circled around Eliot, and knelt down next to the unicorn. He pushed aside Eliot’s cloak, placing a hand upon its neck, and all was silent for a moment. Then he stood back up, looking to the leader.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“She will live,” he said. “But she needs healing.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>A whoosh overhead drew their attention. They all looked skyward to see Headmaster Fogg, atop a sleek broom, descending into the clearing. Despite the fact that it had to be after midnight, he was fully dressed in his typical business suit. Eliot wondered if he slept in it. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Jasien,” the Headmaster said in his deep voice, speaking to the centaur that held the spear, whom Eliot had thought of as the leader. “I apologize for this… disruption to your forest,” he said as he looked dismounted from his broom, looking around, his gaze landing on Eliot.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Mr. Waugh,” he said, surprise evident in his voice. “You… were not who I was expecting to find out here.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Surprise?” Eliot said weakly as he tucked his wand back in his holster.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“What happened here?” the headmaster asked, looking down at the unicorn.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Um…” Eliot said, his mind suddenly blanking. What the fuck had he been doing out here? In his hest to get Alice and Julia out, he’d had no time to think of any kind of cover story.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“He protected this unicorn,” one of the bow-and-arrow centaurs said. Eliot turned to him in surprise. The centaur looked back at him, his curious eyes examining Eliot with interest. “I was drawn by commotion from the rainbow rock, and by the time I made it here, he had taken down two intruders and was attempting to help the unicorn.” The centaur’s eyes sparkled with a kind of respect that was almost uncomfortable to Eliot. “Among others,” he finished softly.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Eliot felt his face grow warm as he broke eye contact, looking down at the ground.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Intruders?” the Headmaster asked sharply, turning away from the unicorn.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“My men caught two people attempting to escape back through the wards not far from here,” Jasien said. “I’ve already contacted the ministry; they should be collecting them shortly.” Jasien gestured to the centaur that was still eyeing Eliot. “My scout will tell them what he saw. I’m sure they will want to speak with you as well.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Fogg nodded. He turned back to Eliot. “Well, Mr. Waugh,” he said. “Sounds like you and I get to have another little chat,” he said tightly. Then he turned back to the unicorn. “How badly is she hurt?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The headmaster, along with Jasien, healed the unicorn, who was back up on her feet and galloping away from them within five minutes. Eliot stood off to one side of the clearing, wrapped in his soiled cloak, trying to get his thoughts together as the Headmaster spoke quietly with the centaurs. Every few minutes Fogg would give a curious glance at Eliot, who cast a new warmth charm while he waited for his sentence.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Finally the Headmaster stepped way from the centaurs, who began to make their way out of the clearing. One of the bow-and-arrow centaurs though, the one who had told Fogg about how Eliot had protected the unicorn, walked up to him.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I am Galan,” he said. “You will always be welcome within the forest walls.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Oh,” Eliot said. “That’s… nice.” He had no plans to ever come back.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Perhaps you can come visit before you graduate,” Galan continued, his eyes moving up and down over Eliot’s body, in a way that made Eliot pull his robe tighter around his frame. “I’d be happy to answer your question about centaur’s from earlier.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Eliot looked at him in confusion until he remembered his delirious musings from before Julia and Alice had run off. “Oh,” he said, understanding dawning on him. “OH! Ha. Well, I… appreciate the offer. I’ll keep it in mind. You know, provided I don’t get expelled.” Almost automatically, he gave Galan a flirtatious smile as the centaur smiled back. As Galan turned and walked away, Eliot couldn’t help but try to glance down and see… but even with the bright moonlight, the shadows were too deep to get anything close to a good look.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Mr. Waugh.” The Headmaster’s deep voice pulled Eliot out of his musings. Eliot walked over to the Headmaster, who had his broom in hand. Fogg mounted the broom and then gestured for Eliot to get on.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Uh…” Eliot said, swallowing nervously. “I haven’t… flying isn’t really-”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Mr. Waugh,” the Headmaster started in a tired voice, “It’s the middle of the night and it’s fucking freezing. I have zero interest in walking back to the castle, and I still have much to deal with before I can go to bed. Please get on the bloody broom so we can get this shit on the road.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Eliot nodded. “Yes, sir.”  He then climbed up on the broom, and held on tight for the most uncomfortable flying trip of his life.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>--</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Eliot sat in the chair in front of the Fogg’s desk, his leg thumping nervously as he looked over at the Headmaster. He could really use a cigarette.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Fogg was fiddling with something over at a side table while Eliot waited.  Eliot sighed<em>—</em>at this point he just wanted to get it over with. Get expelled, get his shit out of his room, and figure out where he could go that wasn’t a sheep farm in Wales. Maybe Margo’s parents wouldn’t mind if he just stayed in her room until she graduated...</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The adrenaline was finally wearing off, leaving fatigue and fear in its wake. He truly had no idea what he would do without a Hogwarts diploma, or his wand. Magic had become an integral part of him. To have it taken away… he would be useless. He closed his eyes against the sting of threatening tears.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He almost jumped in his seat as he felt something soft press against the palm of his hand, which had been hanging off the arm of the chair. He looked down to see a gorgeous phoenix padding around on the floor next to him. It’s feathers were brilliant shades of red, orange, and yellow, the little tuft on its head tickling Eliot’s palm. Eliot stared at it with wide eyes as he gently rubbed the animal's soft feathers. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The phoenix looked up at him, it’s beady little eyes staring him square in the face. Eliot had never thought a bird could have personality in its face, but this one did. It seemed to radiate sympathy and reassurance in it’s gaze, and a wave of comfort wafted over Eliot as the bird pushed harder against Eliot’s palm.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Tears welled up in his eyes, threatening to spill over as the bird let out a soft caw. It then suddenly flew up to a perch next to Fogg’s desk. Eliot turned to see the Headmaster standing near his desk, watching the interaction curiously. Eliot quickly wiped his eyes as Fogg approached with a small glass in each hand, partly filled with a brown liquid. Wordlessly, he handed one to Eliot.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Eliot brought it to his nose. Bourbon - expensive bourbon, from the smell of it. Eliot looked up questioningly at the Headmaster.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“You look like you can use it,” the Headmaster explained, taking a sip of his own.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>Ok</span>
  </em>
  <span>, Eliot though. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Could have a worst last meal</span>
  </em>
  <span>. Well, he was never one to turn down good alcohol. Eliot took a sip, the liquor burning a satisfying path down his throat.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“He likes you,” Fogg told Eliot after a moment.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“What?” Eliot asked, not following. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Lucent,” Fogg explained, gesturing to the phoenix, who was now preening on his perch. “He doesn’t take a liking to many people.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Lucky me,” Eliot said as he looked at the bird. “He must have a thing for complete fuck-ups.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Well, I can’t say that isn’t true,” the Headmaster said. “He does seem to enjoy my company, after all.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Eliot wasn’t going to touch that one with a ten-foot pole. He took another sip of his drink instead of responding.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The Headmaster set down his drink as he sat against the edge of his desk. “You are not a fuck-up, Mr. Waugh. On the contrary, you are one of the most talented students that have ever graced our campus. Granted, you do seem to have a certain… attraction to disaster, I’ve noticed. But with the right company… you could quite literally move mountains.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Eliot looked up at the Headmaster, shifting in his seat. “Is this the speech you usually give right before you kick somebody out?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“No one is getting kicked out,” the Headmaster said. Eliot nearly melted out of his chair as relief coursed through his body.  “But I will need you to be honest with me. About everything that happened tonight. And everyone who was involved.” He stared down at Eliot, his dark eyes making it clear that there was no room for negotiation.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“It was Seb and Marina,” he said quickly. “And just me. I was trying to catch them in the act, and things got out of hand.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Mmhmm,” the Headmaster said tightly. “And the patronus that summoned me tonight -”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“That was mine!” Eliot said quickly.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Really?” Fogg said dryly. “Your patronus is a delightfully spirited unicorn? With a distinctly feminine voice and an American accent?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Eliot sat there silently. Then - “Well, Headmaster, there is a lot you don’t know about me.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The Headmaster set his empty glass on his desk, clasping his hands together as he looked down at Eliot. “Mr. Waugh, your determination to protect your friends is admirable. I expect that is a large part of the reason you were sorted into Slytherin. But at some point you have to realize that you do not have to carry your burdens alone. Do you remember the day I went to your home, after you received your Hogwarts letter?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Eliot nodded. Did he remember? It had only been one of the single most important days of his life. He could still recall his mother’s wide eyes as the Headmaster, dressed as impeccably then as he was now, had walked through sheep shit to knock at his front door.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I do too. I remember the scared little boy who had magic so powerful it threatened to consume him. I asked you to tell me about what had happened the week before. And you looked me straight in the eyes and you said, ‘None of your fucking business.’”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Eliot let out a laugh, nearly choking on the sip of bourbon he’d just taken. “Did I ever apologize for that?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“No,” Fogg said, a rare smile on his face. “But after I showed you that it was possible to do magic without hurting anyone, you did tell me what you thought you had done. And what did I tell you then?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Eliot stared at the alcohol in his glass as if it held all the secrets in the universe. Fogg had taken him out to the barn that day, and moved his family tractor from one end to the other, almost effortlessly. “You said it wasn’t my fault.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“It wasn’t. It was my fault.  We should have known about any student with that kind of ability, before their magic reached that level. I’m sorry we didn’t get to you sooner. But you have to realize that there was nothing you could have done. And you have to stop punishing yourself for it. Not two years ago, we sat in this same office, having almost this exact same conversation. You weren’t ready to tell the truth then. Are you now?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Eliot said nothing, staring up at Lucent. His eyes shifted over to Fogg, who was looking down at him in a way he wished his own parents were capable of. Eliot gave one nod, drained his glass with a final sip, and then reached over to the Headmaster’s desk, setting down his empty glass</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Fogg stood up and crossed behind his desk, sitting down in his desk chair. “Now, I know Miss Wicker and Miss Quinn were in that forest tonight. The centaur scout saw them leave the clearing. I need you to tell me what happened.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“It’s not their fault,” Eliot immediately protested. “If I had-”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The Headmaster waved his hand. “I am not prepared to deal with the world of shit that would fall upon me if I even considered expelling either of those students for anything less than burning down the castle. But I have two former students in the Ministry’s hands that have broken into our wards not only once, but twice, and I still have no idea how they got in. I need you to tell me what happened.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Eliot nodded. And then he began to speak.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>--</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>An hour later, Fogg walked Eliot to his office door. Eliot told him what he’d seen, which wasn’t really all that much more than what the scout had told Fogg. Eliot didn’t really know why Alice and Julia had agreed to help Marina, although Eliot was sure that they were just casualties in whatever plan Seb had concocted. The discussion had taken longer because messages were arriving for the Headmaster from the Ministry<em>—</em>three owls had come and gone in the past hour, with Fogg growing increasingly irritated with each one. Eliot hadn’t bothered to ask what the letters said; he wasn’t sure he wanted to know, even if he thought the Headmaster might actually tell him.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>While Eliot was not getting expelled (at least not because of this, there was still half a year of school left after all), he was going to be in detention for one month, mainly because he charged into the forest after hours. He'd be assisting Madame Zelda in the library and Madame Woolf at the gamemaster’s hut. It was a more lenient sentence than Eliot felt he truly deserved. He was going to need to invest in some cheaper robes if he was going to be spending more time with the school animals.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Eliot was exhausted. All adrenaline had left his bones long ago; he only felt weariness and sadness as he followed the Headmaster down the hallway to the castle corridor. He knew he would fall asleep as soon as his head hit the pillow, and he hoped he didn’t wake up for days.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Eliot realized though, as soon as the door opened, that he’d have to wait a bit longer to get into bed. Waiting right outside the Headmaster’s door were two Ravenclaws and a Hufflepuff - all looking just as tired, anxious, and upset as Eliot was.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Julia and Alice both started speaking at once. “Headmaster Fogg! Eliot didn’t do anything! It was all my idea! He saved us! Please don’t expel him!” It was impossible to tell which voice belonged to which girl, even with the differing accents.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>They both abruptly stopped talking and started at the Headmaster, who appeared to have aged ten years in the past hour. Fogg opened his mouth, only to be interrupted by one last question from Alice. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Is the unicorn okay?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Eliot couldn’t help the smile that split his face. Without meaning to, his gaze locked on the man hovering nervously behind Alice and Julia. Quentin returned Eliot’s smile with a small one of his own. For a moment, Eliot forgot the past few days, Quentin soothing his sharp edges by simply existing.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Eliot allowed himself a moment to just look at Quentin. His hair was parted differently - off to the left, giving it more volume and making him look older than his previous hairstyle had. Eliot had noticed it when he’d seen Quentin in the Great Hall, but he’d been too busy trying to pretend that he was just fine to really take it in. Now, though, Eliot drank Quentin in like he hadn’t had water in a week.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>His face looked tired, his eyes red-rimmed and his skin paler than usual. He was in fleece pajamas - royal blue with 'Police Box' written on it randomly, Eliot had no idea what that was about, must be some American geek thing - with a hoodie haphazardly thrown on, bare feet hastily stuffed into a pair of sneakers. He reached up and shoved a lock of messy hair behind his ear; Eliot tracked the movement. He met Quentin’s gaze again, seeing worry, fear, misery… and the same longing that Eliot knew had to be written all over his face right now. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>But that was just wishful thinking, as Eliot remembered that Quentin thought Eliot was basically the scum of the Earth (which, despite Fogg’s kind words, Eliot knew he was). He broke Quentin’s gaze, looking to the floor. He could still feel the heat of Quentin’s eyes on him.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Professor Fogg cleared his throat. “The unicorn is fine,” he told them tightly. Eliot saw Alice’s shoulders sag in relief.  “It is two in the morning. I have to meet with Ministry officials right now because two of my brightest students, for some reason, decided that inviting two former students onto the grounds for a midnight stroll through the Forbidden Forest was a </span>
  <em>
    <span>good idea</span>
  </em>
  <span>.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Julia and Alice seemed to shrink under Fogg’s stern gaze. Eliot stole a quick glance at Quentin, and saw that he looked just as stricken as the girls did. The urge to wrap an arm around his shoulders was almost overpowering. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I- I didn’t invite </span>
  <em>
    <span>both </span>
  </em>
  <span>of them,” Julia said weakly.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Eliot tried to suppress his grin. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Not your best, Julia</span>
  </em>
  <span>.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Professor Fogg exhaled sharply through his nose. “Both of you will be here at my office tomorrow right after lunch.” Both girls nodded, looking down at the floor. “You are extremely lucky the unicorn is alright, and Seb and Marina were both apprehended. Miss Quinn, I need the rainbow rock. I will hold on to it until Professor March’s return.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Alice nodded, and Eliot could see her eyes shining with unshed tears. She reached in her pocket and pulled out a cloth-covered bundle. She handed it over to the Headmaster, who tucked it in his own pocket.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Now go. To. Bed. It is well beyond curfew, and I have to meet with the Ministry right now to deal with how those two got through our wards. Twice.” Headmaster Fogg’s teeth gritted at the last word, and then turned away from the students, striding down the hall.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Um. Headmaster F-Fogg?” Quentin called. The Headmaster stopped in his tracks, his shoulders slumping. “I- I think I maybe know how they got in.” Quentin’s voice was very small, full of fear and apprehension. Eliot’s head jerked up, and he almost took a step towards Quentin before he stopped himself.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The Headmaster turned, looking right at Quentin. He said nothing and waited.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Quentin reached into his pocket and pulled out a black orb Eliot’s nose wrinkled - an odd smell was coming off of it, like when the tractor back home overheated.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Quentin took a step towards the Headmaster. “Um- Seb gave this to me a while back. I just threw it in my nightstand and forgot about it. Then the night of the break-in, when I went back to my room, it smelled bad. And tonight, the same thing.” Quentin talked to the floor, as Alice stepped up next to him and rubbed his back. Julia stood nearby, her arms around herself as she also took a step closer to Quentin.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The Headmaster stepped closer to Quentin, who held the object out to him. Fogg picked it up, and brought it closer to his face to examine it as Quentin continued talking.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“When Julia and Alice came in…” Quentin’s voice faltered as he glanced up at Eliot, and then quickly looked to the Headmaster. “Um, anyway, we figured out that Seb probably had some kind of a spell on that to help get through the wards.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Eliot’s eyes closed as he backed up against the corridor wall, letting his head rest against the cold stone. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Fucking Seb</span>
  </em>
  <span>.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I- I’m really sorry.” Eliot’s heart constricted at the pain in Quentin’s voice. He cracked an eye open to see both Julia and Alice comforting him. Well. Quentin didn’t need him- he had his family right nearby.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The Headmaster didn’t respond, still considering the item in his hand. He pulled his wand out of his pocket, and held it over the dark orb. He muttered, “Specialis Revelio” as he moved his wand, and a few little sparks emitted from the tip. As the students watched, a blue mist rose from the orb, and then several blue letters and symbols appeared just above it. The Headmaster swirled his wand over the symbols, and suddenly all of the mist and letters and everything were kind of… sucked up into Fogg’s wand.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Huh,” the Headmaster said as he looked at his wand. “Never had that ever actually work before.” He made a pleased expression (the first positive one Eliot had seen on his face all night), and then tucked his wand and the black orb into his pocket. Turning back to Quentin, he said, “Thank you, Mr. Coldwater. I’ll get this to the Ministry right away.” He then turned away and strode quickly down the hall.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Eliot glanced at Quentin, who genuinely looked in danger of passing out. Suddenly the Headmaster stopped, turning once again back to the group. “Get to bed! Now!” And then he disappeared down the corridor.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Eliot watched as Quentin shared a look of relief with his sister and his best friend. “I’ll walk you back to your room,” Julia said as she took Quentin’s arm.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Eliot took that as his cue. He turned away from them and started walking towards the dungeons. He could hear hushed voices behind him, and then rapid steps approaching. A hand grabbed his arm and stopped him. Turning, he looked into Quentin’s wide, worried eyes.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Eliot,” Quentin breathed.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Eliot’s heart stuttered as he looked down at Quentin, all wide, still-terrified eyes, his palm burning heat on Eliot’s elbow. Julia’s words filtered back into Eliot’s brain… </span>
  <em>
    <span>There’s the man Quentin has turned himself inside out for</span>
  </em>
  <span>… Eliot shoved them aside. Quentin had told him. He could never love him.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Yes, Quentin?” Eliot asked, after a moment of both of them staring at each other. Eliot could see Julia and Alice down the hall, pretending like they weren’t watching and hanging on every word.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Quentin’s mouth opened and closed as he stared up at Eliot. That same familiar tension that had wrapped around them in the Astronomy Tower started to rise up, and Eliot felt his face soften as he looked down at the man that he would bend the laws of magic for, if it came down to it.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Eliot swallowed down that tenderness, that warmth that only Quentin could make him feel, and locked it away. It wasn’t for him- it never would be. Eliot took a step back, Quentin’s hand falling away from his arm, and the light in Quentin’s eyes dimming. A cold wave swept through Eliot’s body as he looked away from Quentin’s face.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Quentin sighed. “Just… thank you,” he said, putting his hand back in his pocket. “For what you did tonight, for Alice and Julia.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Eliot shrugged, still not meeting Quentin’s eyes. “Don’t worry about it. I would have done the same for anyone.” The lie flowed out so easily, Eliot didn’t think he could have even stopped it if he wanted to. His quickly glanced up to Quentin’s face, and the sadness that clouded those brown eyes made Eliot wish he’d kept staring at the floor.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Yeah,” Quentin said quietly. The two stood there for another moment.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Well,” Eliot said. “Good night.” He risked one more quick glance at Quentin, and then turned and walked away.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He didn’t walk away so fast that he missed the quiet “Good night,” that Quentin whispered in return.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>--</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>tbc in Chapter 14: The Restricted Section</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p><a href="https://imgur.com/l288sxI"></a><br/>Eliot’s favorite vest. Maybe mine too...</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0014"><h2>14. The Restricted Section</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Chapter 15 will be up in a few days - not a week. Stay safe and take care of yourself out there.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <em>
    <span>Quentin</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Quentin sunk further into the armchair in front of the fire, wishing it would just swallow him up. Alice sat curled on the end of the couch next to him, a cup of warm cocoa in her hands. The common room was eerily silent behind them; it was probably the last day that this would be the case. Tomorrow was New Year’s Eve, and some students would return for the big fireworks display that would take place at midnight.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>It was late evening, stars already starting to shine through the high windows in the Hufflepuff common room. Quentin had asked Alice to come hang out after dinner; he knew they could both use the company. Julia was off somewhere with Kady, as she was still firmly in the doghouse. Kady had been enraged when she heard that Julia had not only snuck out to the forest after hours </span>
  <em>
    <span>without her</span>
  </em>
  <span>, but that she’d been stunned by Seb. Quentin really hoped he was around if Kady ever ran into Seb or Marina outside of Hogwarts; he had no doubt she didn’t need a wand to make sure they understood to never go near anyone she cared about again.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Alice had been quiet (even for her) all day. She and Julia had returned from their meeting with Fogg that afternoon with long, morose faces, picking at their dinners in the Great Hall shortly after. Alice had been tight-lipped, and sometimes Quentin would look over at her to see her eyes shining and chin quivering. She had never gotten into any kind of trouble before, not even a scolding from a teacher, but according to Julia, she (and Julia) now had detention for the rest of the year. Julia had just barely held on to her Head Girl status, mainly because only a handful of students had any idea anything had even happened that night (and her mom’s position at the ministry probably had more than a little to do with it, too). </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>It would really be difficult for Alice to handle detention and still have time for all the studying she needed to do for her five N.E.W.T.’s, but Quentin knew if anyone could do it, Alice could. He just hoped she didn’t drown herself in guilt on top of all her schoolwork.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Now they sat silently, staring into the fire. Alice had a book open in her lap, but Quentin knew she hadn’t read a word for the past ten minutes. Quentin watched the flames flicker, casting dancing, dramatic shadows on the walls of the common room. He couldn’t care less about the new year or impending celebrations, or what the fuck ever. He was completely consumed in how utterly wrong he had been about Eliot. On every single front.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>How could he have been such a total idiot? He completely believed Seb’s lies, right from the start. He’d been so enamored by the fact that someone as good-looking and charismatic as Seb actually wanted to spend time with him that he’d played right into his hand. And then he went on a date with him, and had let Seb not only kiss him, but also use him to walk right into the castle to steal from the Headmaster, and then almost seriously hurt his sister and best friend.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>When Quentin thought about what could have happened in that forest if Eliot hadn’t arrived, he felt nauseous. Julia and Alice had burst into his room the night before, scaring the shit out of him with how frenzied they were, not making any sense and with Alice crying.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>He’d just fallen asleep after tossing and turning for an hour, unable to quiet his mind from the thoughts that had been rattling around for the past two days. After seeing Eliot in the Great Hall, not even pouring his heart out to Julia had stopped the guilt and regret from clouding his mind. She’d listened, and then proclaimed both of them idiots and told him to just suck it up and talk to Eliot. Like it was so easy- just go! Have a real conversation! About your feelings! </span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>He’d jerked awake at the solid sound of his dorm room door slamming open, followed by high-pitched noises that he quickly identified as the voices of his sister and his best friend. He’d stumbled up and out of bed, fear gripping his heart- something had to be very, very wrong. He barely registered that same acrid smell from a few days ago as he tried to shake the sleep away.</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>“Alice? Julia?” His heart was racing as he quickly illuminated the nearby torch. Alice threw herself into his arms, sobbing as Quentin hugged her in surprise, looking over her head to meet Julia’s eyes, which were also shining with unshed tears. Quentin’s stomach fell to his feet as all kinds of scenarios flashed through his mind- was there another break-in? Did something happen to their parents? What the fuck was going on?</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>“It’s all my fault,” Julia said, putting her face in her hands as she sat slowly down at the foot of Quentin’s bed. “I can’t believe I trusted her.”</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>“I- I should have told you no,” Alice stammered through her tears, Quentin’s shoulder growing damp.</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>Quentin’s eyes darted back and forth between the two women. “What the fuck is going on?”</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>Julia stood up, pacing in front of Quentin’s bed. “No, this is all on me, Alice. God, I can’t believe I did that. We never should have left Eliot.” She sat down on the trunk at the foot of his bed. Then she turned and looked back at Quentin- “Q, what the fuck is that smell?”</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>Quentin was still stuck back on ‘We never should have left Eliot.’ “Eliot? What- what is going on?” he asked again, his voice growing more urgent.</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>“He was so adamant...” Alice said. “He- he said he owed me. I don’t know why he would think that.”  She pulled away slightly, sniffling, her nose wrinkled. “Seriously Quentin, do you guys ever clean this place?”</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>Quentin looked from Alice to Julia, his annoyance and fear growing in leaps and bounds. “It’s probably just that thing that Seb gave me, sometimes it stinks.  Now please tell me why you’re here? What happened?”</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>Both Julia and Alice stared at him, eyes wide. Alice pulled fully away from Quentin. “What thing that Seb gave you?”</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>Sensing that he’d get answers faster if he just cooperated, Quentin turned and pulled open the drawer in his nightstand. He reached in, pulling out the toy. He had forgotten to toss it out a few days earlier, and he pulled it out. His nose wrinkled at the strong acidic smell in the air, and he turned it in his hand, noticing that it definitely felt… different. Whatever magic had been within was definitely gone now - he didn’t feel any trace of it now. He turned and showed it to the girls.</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>Alice looked at it, and then stepped forward, taking it carefully in her hands, treating it as carefully as he imagined she would a live explosive.</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>“Can you guys please tell me what happened tonight? What does Eliot have to do with it?” Honestly, if someone didn’t give him answers soon he was going to explode.</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>Predictably, Alice and Julia ignored him, exchanging an alarmed look. “Q,” Julia said. “It was Seb and Marina that broke into the school on Christmas Eve. And tonight, they somehow got through the wards again. When did Seb give you this?”</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>Quentin inhaled a sharp intake of breath, staring down at the object in Alice's hands, which suddenly seemed much more foreboding than it had five seconds ago. “The night we went out on a date. It’s a Death Star that would explode when you triggered the spell on it. But on Christmas Eve it… that was the first night it smelled like this… not this bad, though.” As the words left his mouth, he realized how idiotic they sounded.</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>As Julia and Alice exchanged yet another look, Quentin felt his jaw clench and his entire body tense. He roughly walked to the middle of the room, running a hand through his hair and turning to face both of them.</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>"</span>
  </em>
  <span>Okay</span>
  <em>
    <span>- one of you tell me</span>
  </em>
  <span> right the fuck now</span>
  <em>
    <span>, what the fuck is going on!?”</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>The whole story tumbled out- Julia agreeing to ask Alice to use the rainbow rock to lure a unicorn, Marina meeting them in the forest, Seb showing up, Alice seeing and touching a unicorn, and then a fight, Seb getting the better of them, the unicorn getting hurt, Eliot showing up like a fucking white knight in a goddamn movie, centaurs, Eliot all but ordering Julia and Alice to leave, and their sprint back to the castle, to right where they were now.</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>Quentin looked at the Ravenclaws. Both had leaves and grass in their hair, dirt stains on their clothes, and if he looked closely, Quentin could see silver liquid staining parts of Alice’s robe. </span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>“Holy shit,” Quentin whispered. He turned to his closet, nearly tripping over his own feet, grabbing a hoodie and shoving his arms into it. “We have to go back,” he said, stuffing his feet into a pair of sneakers. His fleece Doctor Who pajamas would have to do, he couldn’t be bothered to change his pants. He stuffed the trinket from Seb in his pocket, along with his wand. “I can’t believe you just left him there!”</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>Quentin was out of the common room and halfway to the entrance hall before Julia and Alice caught up with him. Alice tugged at his arm. “Quentin!” He shrugged her off, his blood practically boiling outside of his body, he was so angry. Holding on to the rage was easy, as the alternative was thinking about what could have happened to Eliot- alone in the Forbidden Forest with centaurs at his back.</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>“Coldwater!” Quentin froze in his tracks at the familiar voice. He turned to see Penny in the hall, in loose black pants and another one of those sweaters that was cut to his navel (how appropriate was it to have your tits out in the Hogwarts hallway, regardless of what time it was?) Alice and Julia stopped as well.</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>“Eliot’s fine,” Penny said. “Fogg found him and they’re in his office.”  The Gryffindor focused on Julia and Alice. “He is </span>
  </em>
  <span>not </span>
  <em>
    <span>happy with you two. I’d make myself scarce. He’s so pissed he’s not even keeping his wards up about it.” Julia and Alice looked at each other, exchanging a sobering look. Penny looked hard at Julia. “Can’t say I blame him. That was pretty fucking stupid.” Then he turned and walked back in the direction of his common room. He then whirled back around, walking backwards as he talked. “Oh… please let me be around when Kady finds out.” Smirking, he disappeared down the hall. Quentin shook his head as Julia’s eyes grew even wider.</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>Turning, he strode away from them. “Where are you going?” Alice called after him</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>“To the Headmaster’s office. And if you two are really sorry, you’ll come with me.” The trio made their way to the corridor outside the Headmaster’s office, arguing in harsh whispers over if they should knock or not. They’d settled on waiting outside for the door to open… and after what felt like all night, it finally did.</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>Quentin had stood back as the girls pleaded with the Headmaster, who looked so over it Quentin thought he may have been mentally writing his letter of resignation. Quentin halfway expected Fogg to just expel them all That line of thinking was quickly forgotten as Quentin looked just behind the Headmaster, and saw those hazel eyes, so exhausted and strung out it was all Quentin could do to not throw his arms around Eliot and squeeze until he was convinced that he was really there, solid and whole.</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>Eliot had smiled at something Alice had said, and it lit Quentin up from the inside- Eliot was ok, he was right there, smiling. Their eyes had met, and for a moment the past few days faded away, leaving just two men focused on the only thing that mattered to them.</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>Then Eliot had severed the link, looking down at his feet while Quentin continued to stare. Then, after the Headmaster had taken the toy (weapon?) from Quentin and told them all in no uncertain terms to </span>
  </em>
  <span>go to bed</span>
  <em>
    <span>, Quentin had looked up to see Eliot walking away. Again. </span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>And Quentin couldn’t stand it- he had ignored whatever Julia and Alice had been saying, running up to Eliot. He’d grabbed his arm, intending… he didn’t even know what. Eliot had turned to him, disheveled, exhausted, exquisite, devastating, his face softening in a way that made Quentin feel like they were the only two in the castle.</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>Then he’d stepped back, that wall falling into place, looking anywhere but at Quentin. Quentin had stammered out a thank you, trying hard to ignore the pang in his heart when Eliot said he would’ve done the same for anyone.</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>Like he was just anyone. Not someone he loved. This was Quentin’s fault. Someone good and true had loved him, and Quentin had not only rejected him, he’d completely destroyed his trust. This time, when he watched Eliot walk away, he knew that would probably be the final image he’d ever have of him.</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I can hear you brooding.” Quentin turned his head to see Alice taking a sip from her mug, one eyebrow arched in his direction, open textbook still in her lap.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“You’re one to talk,” Quentin told her, resuming his attempts to become one with the armchair. “You haven’t turned a page in ten minutes.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Alice sighed, shutting the book and tossing it to the floor next to her chair, where it landed with a thump. “I have detention. For five months!” She set her mug on a side table, and then sighed again as she let her head fall back against the sofa. “Five fucking months, Quentin!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Quentin couldn't help the laugh that escaped from his mouth. “You think Fogg regrets approving our transfers now?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Alice couldn’t help but laugh along with him.  “What kind of reputation have we given the states?” she asked through her giggles.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Nothing it probably hadn’t already earned,” he said, sighing.  “Seriously, Alice- what were you thinking?” He reached over, squeezing her hand before letting it drop. “That was just so… out of character for you.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I don’t know,” she said. She straightened up in her seat, looking thoughtfully at the fire. “I just… I didn’t even really think about it. As soon as Julia told me her plan, I knew I was going to do it. Some of it had to do with, like, </span>
  <em>
    <span>oh my god, a unicorn</span>
  </em>
  <span>, you know? I mean, you’ve seen my room at home… but I think it was also because of how stressed I’ve been these past few months, with school, and… everything.”  Her voice faded to a whisper, and Quentin turned to her. He opened his mouth, and then closed it. He still wasn’t sure if her knowing why Margo had been so cold would help her or not. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Margo is so full of fire, you know? Being with her… it made me feel like I could do anything. Someone like </span>
  <em>
    <span>her </span>
  </em>
  <span>liked someone like </span>
  <em>
    <span>me</span>
  </em>
  <span>… it was just so unreal.” Quentin nodded to himself.</span>
  <em>
    <span> I completely get it.</span>
  </em>
  <span> “I think part of me thought I could maybe capture that feeling again by…” she trailed off.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Doing something stupid?” Quentin finished for her. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Something </span>
  <em>
    <span>reckless</span>
  </em>
  <span>,” she said, and Quentin could almost see the word float out of her mouth, hovering around her in italics as she breathed it out. “Plus, again, I had a literal unicorn magnet in my pocket. Do you really think I’d turn down the chance to use it?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Quentin chuckled, turning back to the fire. Silence hung comfortably between them, broken by Alice’s quiet, “So…” Quentin turned back her way.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“What exactly happened between you and Eliot? Something obviously did while I was gone, but I have no idea what.” Alice looked at him, and then back at the fire, giving him whatever space he may need to confide in her.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Quentin sighed. “I was an idiot, is about the gist of it,” he said. Alice gave him a broken smile. And then he started talking, pouring out the whole story, from the first night at the Astronomy Tower (</span>
  <em>
    <span>“So we kissed… a little” “With tongue?” “Yes, Alice, with tongue”</span>
  </em>
  <span>), to the thestrals (no words, just sad yet somehow happy sighs), to the poker game (</span>
  <em>
    <span>“How much did you win?”</span>
  </em>
  <span>), to Eliot’s confession (a sharp gasp at ‘</span>
  <em>
    <span>fucking ardently</span>
  </em>
  <span>’ and Quentin glanced over, to see her practically swooning to the floor), to Quentin’s rejection of it (he left out the parts about her and Margo, but he was still met with only silence as he spoke), and their short conversation the night before outside of Fogg’s office.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>After he finished, they sat in silence for a few moments as Quentin waited for her response. Alice sighed, and then said, “Well Quentin, I hate to agree with you, but you kind of are an idiot.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He frowned at her, thudding his head back against the chair. Weren’t sisters supposed to support you no matter how dumb you were being?</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“To be fair… you’re both idiots, brave forest rescue notwithstanding. Look, the way he told you how he felt… yes, he could have phrased it better." Seeing the glare Quentin sent her way, she hurriedly continued, "He has issues, and he owes you an apology. But for fuck’s sake, is it really that hard to have a goddamn conversation? You’re both clearly in love with each other.” Quentin frowned at Alice- it was odd to hear her curse so much, and then saying </span>
  <em>
    <span>that </span>
  </em>
  <span>like it was just… fact and not some part of a fever dream was more than he could handle.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I wouldn’t say that,” Quentin said, standing up and crossing over to another chair in front of the fire and sitting down. “It was quite clear last night that whatever Eliot felt, or thought he felt, it’s over now.” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Bullshit,” Alice said, rolling her eyes. “Why else would he follow me and Julia, two people he hardly knows, into the forest if not because he knew it would destroy you if we got hurt? The way you two look at each other…” She shook her head as if she couldn’t believe she even had to say the words. “You need to talk to him, Quentin.” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“That’s not… he’s just...” Quentin flustered as he considered Alice’s words. He got up and sat back down in the original chair he had started in, his inability to sit still escalating as thoughts sped through is brain. Then, “He doesn’t want to talk to me,” Quentin said, irritation in his voice, staring back at the fire. The thought of approaching Eliot again, talking to him… it made his insides itch. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>But when he thought about that last desperate kiss in the Astronomy tower… </span>
  <em>
    <span>you should never hold back</span>
  </em>
  <span>… he itched in an entirely different way. How he felt when Eliot’s lips had crashed into his- that passion, the ridiculous lust that completely engulfed him, tore through him, leaving him upside down and begging for more- the thought of never experiencing that again made him almost physically ill.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Quentin.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>His left eyebrow twitched as he continued to stare at the fire.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Q.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Huffing, he turned and looked at Alice, a sadly amused and exasperated expression on her face, as if he was the cutest puppy that had just pissed on the carpet after being walked around the block twice. “What?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Do you love him?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Quentin abruptly turned away. The seconds ticked by- Quentin didn't know why this was so hard; he knew how he felt the second the word had left Eliot's mouth. But to actually say it himself was really… terrifying. Hardly above a whisper, he answered, "Yes.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Then why are you still sitting here talking to me?! I bet he's in his common room, moping just like you are. Go get him!” Quentin could hear the love in her voice, but he could also tell she was very close to throttling him.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“He doesn’t want me,” Quentin said again, his voice cracking. He swallowed down the bitter taste of tears threatening to overtake him.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Quentin, I love you. So much. But you are going to live a very lonely life if you never take any chances.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Quentin exhaled hard, and then turned to his sister. “I’ll think about it. Okay?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Alice looked at him for a few seconds, and for a moment he thought maybe she really would throttle him. Then she smiled. “Okay,” she said. She settled back in her seat on the couch, pulling down a blanket that had been tossed over the back, and tossing it over her legs. “You know,” she continued, “I still don’t know why Eliot said he owed me, in the forest. We’ve never even really hung out. Was it because of everything between the two of you?” Her bright blue eyes were speculative as she gazed at Quentin.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“No…” Quentin began. This might get Alice off the Eliot train real quick. “I don’t think so. But I do think I know what it’s about.” Alice’s eyebrows peaked in interest, and Quentin took a deep breath. “So,” he began, “I think part of the reason Margo stopped talking to you after the duel is because Eliot maybe… encouraged her not to.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Alice stared back at Quentin for a few moments, absorbing this. “Well,” she said, “maybe he doesn’t deserve you after all.” She sighed, and then looked down at her hands. “Does he not like me?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“No - nothing like that,” Quentin said. “I think - they’ve been friends for a long time. And you’re so quiet, so… not like them, at least in that way. I think Eliot just didn’t understand that just because you’re shy, that doesn’t mean you don’t love as fiercely as they do.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Alice nodded, frowning at her hands. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Also… I think they just weren’t ready for two new students to come in and blow their minds, you know?” He got up and sat next to Alice on the couch, wrapping her in a tight hug. “We’re both completely awesome and they just didn’t know what to do with that.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Alice laughed as she hugged him back. She pulled away and pulled a tissue out of her pocket, dabbing at her eyes. “You know, she did send me something over break. Margo. A Christmas present.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Quentin looked at Alice, his mouth open. He moved over, pulling his feet up and under him on the couch. “I thought you said she didn’t write you?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Well, she didn’t, not really,” Alice said. “But she sent me a gift- this daisy made of ice, warded up so it would stay frozen. It’s beautiful. But no letter, no apology… I don’t know if I can be with someone that can just turn away from me like that, when I did nothing but my best in class. Even if her best friend or whatever is telling her to stay away from me… I could never have done that to her.” Alice’s eyes were dry by the time she finished speaking, and she looked the saddest she had all night. Quentin put a hand on her shoulder and squeezed.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Well- it sounds like maybe I’m not the only person that maybe needs to have a talk with someone. She knows you well enough to know your favorite flower- she’s the first person I was even aware you were dating while you were dating them, so she must mean something to you.” Quentin spoke softly to Alice, as she played with the tissue in her hands. “You should talk to her.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“She does,” Alice said, meeting Quentin’s eyes. “Mean something to me.” After a moment, she added, with a smile, “I’ll think about it.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Quentin groaned, smiling. “I guess I deserved that.” The two sat in silence for a moment, lost in their thoughts, until Quentin remembered something. “Hey- you never told me. What form did your patronus take?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Alice completely transformed right in front of him, a huge smile the likes of which he’d never seen lighting up her entire being. “Quentin!” she said, standing up quickly. “I can’t believe I forgot! I’ll show you!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>She grabbed her wand from the table by the couch, and closed her eyes, concentrating hard for a few seconds. Then, as her hands moved, she said, “Expecto Patronum!” and Quentin watched as white, shining magic poured out of her wand and formed a shining, exquisite unicorn.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Holy shit, Alice!” Quentin said, smiling at his sister. The unicorn bounced and glided towards them, running circles around Alice and then Quentin, as they both watched, their heads turning to follow the playful form.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>As the unicorn left a silver trail in its wake, Quentin looked at Alice, a rare, full smile making her look years younger. Watching her delighted face, he was so glad they had come here. The past four months had been full of so much drama and angst, but it was all worth it to see his sister so happy, even if it was just for a moment, over a damn unicorn. He had a feeling she and Margo would work it out- regardless of what Eliot felt about it all.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>At the thought of Eliot, he felt a stab in his gut. He hoped he could be as happy as Alice looked right now. But as the unicorn faded away, he thought that it just wasn’t in the cards for him.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>--</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>Alice</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The next day, Alice sat on the floor of the Restricted Section of the library. She had nestled into a corner between a large bookshelf and the wall, her legs tucked under her. The torch above her flickered, shadows dancing across the books in the aisle. Alice set her wand on a shelf above her, a light shining from the tip down at the book in her lap. A few others were strewn around her- an advanced Arithmancy text, a volume on cushioning charms, another on animal transfiguration… In her hands, though, was an autobiography of a famous witch, a graduate of Hogwarts and a former Headmistress- Alice had gotten it as a Christmas present from her parents, and decided to read the first few chapters as a break between subjects.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>She’d come here late in the afternoon- more students were filtering into the school for the fireworks that night, even though the official return date for the entire student body wasn’t for another two days. Madame Zelda had long since left, telling Alice she could lock up when she was done. Usually Alice sat at one of the tables, but after browsing through the Restricted Section for a few advanced transfiguration texts, she’d decided the floor was more suited to her mood. She had to get a jump on studying, since she’d be spending several hours a week in detention.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>She still couldn’t believe she got detention. Well, she could believe it- she definitely did deserve it. But she was so close to graduating with nary a single scolding on her record, and then she had to go and blow it all on a pretty rock and a mythical creature. One side of her was racked with guilt that she’d purposefully done something so stupid with hardly a second thought… but the other side still reveled in the delicious feeling of freedom, the electricity that had shot through her when they first stepped foot in the forest. She dwelled on that feeling a bit more than she should, and Alice knew she should be appalled at the fact that, if things hadn’t completely gone to shit, getting caught was almost worth feeling the thrill of adventure she hadn’t even realized was missing from her life.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>But there were other ways to get that thrill beyond putting your entire academic future in jeopardy. Alice sighed as her thoughts turned, as they often did, to Margo. Hearing that Eliot had been part of what kept Margo away from Alice… that stung. But what hurt even more was the realization that it had been so easy for her to stay away. While they’d only had a few physical encounters, they’d spent more time together talking in class and studying in the library. Margo actually reminded her a lot of Quentin, at least in terms of geek cred- Margo had finally admitted that her cat’s actual name was Morgana Le Fay, and she’d schooled Alice on her many iterations in modern culture, her favorite being Katie McGrath’s portrayal in the BCC TV series </span>
  <em>
    <span>Merlin </span>
  </em>
  <span>(</span>
  <em>
    <span>“seriously, she’s so fucking hot”</span>
  </em>
  <span>).  They’d even talked a bit about Fillory, which Alice was already well-versed in, and played a few games of wizard chess, which Alice had won every time. The two had spent more time talking in Charms than studying, where they sat next to each other … until that stupid duel. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Alice would have never just stopped talking to Margo, no matter what had happened in class. For Margo to just shut her out like that… </span>
  <em>
    <span>You just need to get over the fact that she meant more to you than you did to her</span>
  </em>
  <span>. Hot tears stung Alice's eyes, and she allowed her face to crumple, just for a moment. Then she took a deep breath, and picked up her book again, determined to lose herself in the text.  She'd been sitting there, fighting a losing battle between her book and her daydreams, when the voice she'd been replaying in her mind, saying </span>
  <em>
    <span>"You are incredibly beautiful" </span>
  </em>
  <span>over and over, broke into her thoughts. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“So is this where they’re housing the ex-cons now?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Alice’s head jerked up in surprise, her mouth dropping open as Margo stood in front of her, smiling softly. Alice stared, wondering if she’d thought of Margo so much she’d somehow managed to manifest her right in front of her face.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Dressed in a tight royal blue dress, one shoulder bare, her dark hair hanging in soft waves around her face, she looked like an answer to a prayer sent to both the heavens and hell. A delicate bronze necklace hung around her neck, a little charm that Alice couldn't quite make out hanging at it’s center. Alice gaped up at her as Margo spoke again.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I’m gone hardly two weeks and you’re sneaking out of the castle and running around the forest? What’s next, naked moonlight strolls across the Quidditch pitch?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“M-Margo,” Alice said, scrambling to her feet. “I- I didn’t know you were back.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Margo took a step closer to Alice, stopping a few feet away, her face growing more serious. “I got in earlier today. I’ve been looking for you. I should’ve known I’d find you in the library.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Oh,” Alice said, tucking her hair behind her ear, hoping Margo couldn’t see her hand shaking. Seeing Margo here, in the flesh, actually talking to her- that thrill she'd felt in the forest shot through her, completely upending any shred of focus she hoped to maintain. She was like an exposed wire, Margo’s dark eyes cutting through any layer of protection she may have built up like it didn’t even exist.  “How- how was your trip?” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Pretty damn shitty. And nowhere near as exciting as yours,” Margo said.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Alice blushed, looking down at her feet. “I- um, well.. Yeah. It was a good trip.” Alice quickly glanced up at Margo… she seemed to have drifted closer. “I got your gift,” she whispered.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Yeah?” Margo said. “Did you like it?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I did,” Alice replied. Then, remembering that this was their first real conversation in over a month, weeks of silence all because of Margo, she straightened up, looking her square in the eye. “I would have preferred to get a letter from you instead of some pretty trinket, though.” She tried to keep her voice even, even as she felt her heart racing, the solid thud punctuating the rush of blood through her veins. She kept her hands in front of her, fingers intertwined at her waist. She didn’t know what Margo wanted now, but Alice wasn’t going to let herself get hurt again.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>She watched as Margo’s eyes grew soft, the playful teasing leaving her expression, replaced with a melancholy sadness that Alice immediately wanted to chase away. But Alice stood firm, her knuckles turning white as she clenched them tighter together.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I know,” Margo said softly. “I talked to Eliot when I came back today. And I owe you an apology. Much more than an apology, really.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Really?” Alice asked, trying to tamp down the rush of hope that blossomed in her chest. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Really,” Margo said, reaching forward and grasping Alice's hands in her own. “And I know… it’s long overdue.” Margo squeezed Alice’s fingers as her eyes shone in the glimmering torchlight.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I’ve been an unmitigated and comprehensive ass. You completely overwhelmed me, Alice. I’ve never met anyone that could knock me on my dick, in every way, and have me coming back for more. I let my ego and fear of… I don’t even know what hold me back.” Alice's eyes widened and her mouth went dry at Margo’s words. Margo eased forward, now just inches away from Alice.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I don’t really… get close to people. I learned a long time ago, the more people you love, the more people that can fuck you over. Eliot… he’s the only person I let in, in a long time. Then you came along, so… buttoned up.” Margo’s eyes flickered down to Alice’s black dress, overlaid in lace with a high neck that ended just below her collarbone. Alice frowned, her eyes darting away, and Margo smiled softly.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I thought, here’s the daughter of the witch that basically </span>
  <em>
    <span>invented </span>
  </em>
  <span>sex magic, there’s got to be something amazing lurking underneath those peter pan collars and thick black glasses. And I was right- there is. So much.” Margo reached up and trailed a finger down the side of Alice’s face, her soft touch sending chills spiraling throughout Alice’s body. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I am so sorry for the way I treated you. You deserve better. I </span>
  <em>
    <span>know </span>
  </em>
  <span>better than that bullshit. Staying away from you was the one of the hardest things I've ever done, and now I’m… I’m not even sure why I did it.” Margo expelled a breath of air between her teeth, her eyes almost pleading. “I always listen to my gut. And my gut told me…” she trailed off, her gaze flickering down to Alice’s lips. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“What did it tell you?” Alice whispered, her tongue darting out to lick at her lips as she stared at Margo. She saw Margo track the movement, heard her breath hitch in her chest.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“That I’d be a fucking idiot to let you slip through my fingers.” She was just a hair’s breadth away now, so close Alice could feel her hot breath against her face.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“So tell me, Quinn. Am I too late? Did I miss my -”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The rest of her sentence was lost forever, as Alice surged forward, covering Margo’s mouth with hers. It was starlight and glitter, fire and embers, the soft scent of coconut mixed with the taste of wine, a fusion of adrenaline, lust, and love surging through her body. Margo’s hands came to cup Alice’s face as she tilted her head, deepening the kiss. Alice clutched at Margo’s waist, the fabric of her dress cool under her hot palms. She kissed Margo hard, moving one hand to the small of Margo’s back, pulling her body tight against her own. Margo moaned into her mouth, and Alice swallowed it down. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>After a moment of losing herself in Margo's lips, Alice pulled her mouth away, learning her forehead against Margo’s. Alice’s breath came in short gasps, and she smiled as Margo panted right along with her.  “What were you saying?” Alice asked, catching her breath.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Fuck if I know,” Margo responded, leaning in to capture Alice’s lips again, clutching her hips tight. She turned them both, pressing Alice against the bookshelf. Alice heard a few books topple to the floor, and she hoped they were still the only ones in the library. She couldn’t bring herself to actually stop Margo long enough to check, and soon she forgot about everything except the warm body pressed against her own.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Margo trailed her lips across Alice’s cheek, until she pulled Alice’s soft earlobe between her teeth. Alice’s eyes fell closed, one hand moving up to bury in Margo’s soft hair, the other still grasping her waist. “Margo,” she said, as she felt one of Margo’s hands move upwards from her hip, over her belly, lightly grazing her breast before settling right above her collarbone, her thumb softly stroking her throat. Alice squirmed in her grasp - her entire body felt aflame, and she rubbed her thighs together, light-headed as she breathed deeply.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“You know what I thought about over break?” Margo asked, her voice unsteady but somehow still firm in Alice’s ear, and the feel of her hot breath on against the delicate skin sent a shock traveling through her body. Margo’s thumb rested on that patch of exposed flesh at her neck, stroking so lightly it was maddening. Her other hand was steady on Alice’s hip, gripping hard. Alice’s body responded, a rush of wetness between her legs as tingles radiated throughout her limbs.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“W-What?” Alice pressed her hips against Margo, searching for friction, anything to relieve the pressure starting to build. Margo’s hand lowered slightly from her hips down to her ass, then further down to grasp the back of Alice’s thigh. Margo pulled, hitching Alice’s leg up and around her hip. Margo left her hand, warm and steady even through her thick leggings, holding Alice's leg against her. Margo had just enough room to slip a thigh in between Alice’s, the skirt of her dress bunched up between them, Margo’s thigh slotted right up against Alice’s warm center, covered by her tights.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Alice’s head tilted back against the bookshelf as she bit her lower lip to keep from crying out. Margo pressed her thigh right up against Alice’s soft heat, pressure right where Alice wanted it, moving slowly against her. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Peeling these tights off you, one leg at a time,” Margo whispered, that thumb still sliding maddeningly slowly over her collarbone, which she had never thought of as an erogenous zone until right this fucking second. “Sliding your underwear down those incredible hips… you know how much you tease, in those tight skirts, swaying that ass, walking away from me?” Margo’s hand slid further up her throat, her palm covering Alice’s collarbone, her thumb stroking her throat just below her ear. It was a possessive touch, and Alice wanted it all over every inch of her skin. She had never felt as completely engulfed in someone as she did right now.  “Then I’d picture touching you, your pussy so wet against my fingertips… are you wet right now, Alice?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>She punctuated the question with more pressure from her thigh, directly against Alice’s clit, and Alice damned her preference for so many fucking layers under her dresses. Her breath came faster, and she thought she could come just from this.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Focus, Quinn,” Margo chided, pulling back, away from Alice’s ear, laying a light kiss on her lips. “Are you wet right now?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Alice was in a haze, the flickering torchlight making it all seem so much like a dream. She forced herself to focus on Margo’s eyes, usually already dark, now almost blown-out black. “Yes,” she whispered, grinding her body down against Margo.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Margo kissed her hard, pushing her tongue into her mouth, as she raised her thigh to Alice's soft heat, her hand below Alice’s throat pressing slightly, just firm enough for Alice to feel Margo’s silent claim of ‘</span>
  <em>
    <span>mine</span>
  </em>
  <span>’. Then her lips traced back to Alice’s ear, her eyes squeezing closed at the sound of Margo’s tight breath in her ear again. “I’d think about how, after I stripped you bare, I’d touch you. I’d use my fingers to make you fucking scream.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Alice couldn’t stop herself as she keened loudly, her fingers tightening on Margo’s waist, the hand she had in Margo’s hair reaching up, behind her, to grasp at the bookshelf as her legs trembled, and she questioned if they had the strength to keep her upright. Alice had never felt so wanted, so turned on. She ground down against Margo’s thigh, starting to chase the pressure building inside her. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>All at once, Margo pulled her thigh away, the hand that had been holding Alice’s leg moving up her skirt, to settle on her ass, fingers playing with the waistband of her tights. Alice’s eyes opened as Margo drifted away just an inch. Alice went to pull her back, but Margo’s hand, still on her throat, gently pushed Alice against the shelf.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Is it okay if I get these out of the way?" Margo asked, her fingers dipping into the back of Alice's tights, just brushing the top of her bare ass.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Alice suddenly realized they were far from their dorms, and she had just gotten five months of detention literally two days ago. “Margo, we’re in the </span>
  <em>
    <span>library</span>
  </em>
  <span>,” she hissed, trying to sound stern but knowing that she failed miserably.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“And?” Margo said, pulling back from Alice’s ear to look into her eyes. “I </span>
  <em>
    <span>know</span>
  </em>
  <span> this isn't the first time you’ve made out in the library.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“You’re wanting to do more than make out,” Alice said, protesting even as she pulled Margo back against her, burying her nose in her hair. Her lips brushed the outer shell of Margo’s ear, and she felt Margo tremble in her arms. “Anyone could walk in.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“You’re right,” Margo said, the fingers under Alice’s skirt, moving around her waist- dipping in the waistband and sliding along the sensitive skin. “Anyone could come in. And find me balls deep in your wet pussy.” Her voice dropped to a whisper as her hand slid around to Alice’s front, and she cupped Alice’s covered cunt, the heel of her hand grinding right where Alice wanted it.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Alice moaned, her legs shaking under her. She could feel Margo’s smile- “Well, you weren’t lying. You are dripping, Miss Quinn. Can I touch you?" Margo’s hand fell away from her core, and Alice moaned the loss.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Alice nodded, biting her lower lip. With no hesitation, Margo reached with both hands, under Alice's skirt, and pulled her tights and underwear down to her knees. Margo smiled at her, kissing her softly, as one hand trailed slowly up Alice's inner thigh. The other went back to it’s resting spot on Alice’s collarbone.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Can </span>
  <em>
    <span>I</span>
  </em>
  <span> touch </span>
  <em>
    <span>you</span>
  </em>
  <span>?” Alice blurted, the hand that had been grasping on to the bookshelf for dear life moving to rest Margo’s bare shoulder.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Margo chuckled. “Baby, I’ll let you touch anything you want. But right now, this is about you. Tell me what you like, okay?” Then she felt Margo’s hand, the one teasing her inner thigh, sliding up and up, teasing through her soaked folds.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"You are so wet," Margo hissed, her knuckles dragging softly against her skin. A low, guttural sound escaped Alice's lips, and Margo leaned forward, attaching her lips to Alice's throat as her thumb teased and circled Alice's clit. The hand that had been at her throat slid down, to cup her breast, lightly squeezing, teasing at her hardened nipple through her clothing.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Alice closed her eyes and let her head loll back against the bookshelf, her knees feeling weak. She moved the hand that had been on Margo's hip to again grasp the bookshelf above her, the other still clutching Margo's bare shoulder, nails digging into her skin as Alice gave herself over to the pleasure beginning to crest inside.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Margo attached her lips to Alice's throat as her fingers explored, parting and touching, her fingertips sometimes grazing Alice's clit and her entrance; Alice knew she should probably be embarrassed by how wet she was, but her mind was so full of Margo and her mouth and hands and just her fucking existence that there was no room for shame. Alice's hips bucked against the palm of Margo's hand as Margo slid one finger inside her.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"You like that?" Margo whispered. Alice whimpered as Margo added another finger, and pushed deeper inside her. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Y-Yes," Alice stammered, Margo's request to 'tell her what she liked' echoing in her mind. "More," she whispered, her hips pressing against Margo's hand, the exquisite pressure in her belly, her toes, everywhere, so ready to snap.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>She felt Margo's smile against her neck as she added a third finger, and began to thrust her hand against, into Alice. Alice felt her legs threaten to buckle, and Margo pinned one side of Alice’s body against the bookshelf, trapping Alice’s thigh in between two of her own, grinding her own soft heat against Alice’s body.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Alice felt suspended in space, her eyes scrunched close as she felt her body coiling, her knuckles white as they gripped the bookshelf, her toes curling in her Mary Jane’s as Margo took her to a place she’d never been. “H-harder,” she gasped out as her arm wrapped around Margo’s shoulder, holding her tightly as Margo fucked her with her hand, her palm grinding on Alice’s clit while her clever fingers stroked in and out, twisting and touching right where Alice needed it. Margo’s mouth wasn’t idle, still licking and sucking on Alice’s throat, sure to leave marks that Alice would never admit she wanted the whole world to see.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Margo’s breath was just as ragged as Alice’s as she pressed Alice against the bookshelf, her hand moving quickly but so, so fucking precise, Alice’s hips moving to meet her thrusts, the smell of Margo in her nostrils and then she was coming, white stars behind her eyelids, crying out, spasming around Margo’s fingers, her death grip on the bookshelf keeping her on her feet as Margo continued to press against her clit and move inside her until Alice grabbed Margo’s wrist, stilling her movement and steadying her feet. She let go of the bookshelf, feeling something against her cheeks- she wiped her face and was surprised to feel tears streaming down her face.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Margo pulled away from Alice’s neck, her free hand cupping Alice’s cheek as she stared at her with eyes so vulnerable that Alice felt at a loss for breath. Margo leaned in and gave her a soft, sweet kiss. The gesture was so tender, and such a stark contrast to the fingers that Margo still had buried in Alice’s cunt. That was the epitome of Margo, Alice thought- such caring hidden inside a layer of passion so intense and fierce that precious few ever saw it.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Margo pulled her hand out of Alice, keeping her eyes on Alice as she lifted her hand to her lips. She sucked the fingers that had just been inside Alice in her mouth, one by one, her eyes rolling back as she licked off the juices. Alice just stared at her, feeling her body, even as it was still coming down from her orgasm, revving up again.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“You are fucking unreal,” Alice whispered, as she licked her lips. She grabbed Margo and pulled her against her, her tights still around her knees, licking into Margo’s mouth, tasting herself on Margo’s tongue. She reached down, just getting under Margo’s tight skirt when Margo pulled away.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Alice looked at her in confusion. Margo smiled- “How about we move this party somewhere more comfortable? I know a place.” Alice smiled back, and reached down to pull her tights and underwear back into place.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>As she straightened up and Margo leaned over to start picking up Alice’s books off the floor, Alice saw the charm on Margo’s necklace catch the light. She touched Margo’s shoulder, who glanced up at Alice, and Alice tugged Margo up and closer to her. She reached out and touched the charm- a little bronze horse, rearing up on its hind legs. She met Margo’s eyes, who shrugged her shoulders.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“What can I say? Sometimes I’m a sensitive bitch.” Alice pulled Margo into a tight hug, and then gave her a small peck on the lips. They finished picking up Alice’s books, and then the two walked (Alice stumbling on still unsteady legs) to the table where her bag was. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I can’t wait to hear about your adventure in the forbidden forest,” Margo said as Alice clasped her bag shut.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I’m sure Eliot gave you the highlights.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Margo frowned. “Not really. I was really hoping over break he’d… well, he’s a bit of a depressing little bitch right now. He grabbed me as soon as I came in today… he wanted to talk. About you.” Alice arched an eyebrow at Margo, unable to hide her pursed lips.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I know he’s not exactly my biggest fan,” Alice said as they left the library, Alice making sure the door was locked. “Quentin told me Eliot told you to stay away from me.” The hallway was deserted, and Margo turned to face Alice.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Margo frowned. “I’m not sure where he got his information, but the only person that tells me who to spend time with is me.” At Alice’s look, Margo conceded, “It’s true that he may have… influenced me when I was, myself, being a depressing little bitch. But the only person that kept me away from you was me. And my stupid ego. Eliot fucking loves you. He told me how you pulled your wand on Seb.” Margo’s eyes glittered as she took Alice’s arm in hers, and started leading her to the stairs to the upper floors.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Alice huffed. “Yeah, a whole lot of good it did. He stunned me before I even knew what was happening. Eliot was the hero.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Eliot has been waiting to knock Seb on his ass for years. I hope they throw that little fucktoid in Azkaban and throw away the key. And then fuck him in the asshole. With a cactus. Twice.” Alice looked at Margo out of the corner of her eye, a small smile playing on her face at the true venom in her voice. She couldn’t stop her eyes from flickering down to Margo’s length, her tight dress and curves hidden under her robe. But she knew they were there. Just waiting for Alice to get her hands on them.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>As she followed Margo up the stairs, Alice had to ask- “Why is Eliot so depressed?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Margo turned and looked at Alice over her shoulder. “Because he wants to fuck your brother. Probably more than that. And he’s convinced Quentin wants nothing to do with him.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“He told you that?” Alice asked, falling into step next to Margo as they crossed another dark hallway. Margo’s hand found Alice’s in the darkness, grabbing it tightly.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“No,” Margo said. “But he hasn’t shut up about Coldwater all year. I thought for sure he’d seal the deal while I was gone, but when I asked,  he just said Quentin wasn’t interested. I'll have to get the full story later.” Margo pulled Alice up yet another set of stairs, to a section of the castle Alice had never been in before.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Alice frowned. “Those two are a mess. But Eliot is wrong. Quentin is totally in love with him. He’s just too scared to do anything about it.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Margo sighed, her thumb slowly moving over Alice’s as the two climbed up to the seventh floor. Alice could feel her body responding, and flashes of their moments in the library floated to the surface of her brain. Suddenly the last thing she wanted to talk about was her brother- but if Eliot needed just a little nudge, maybe she could provide that.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Well- maybe you can mention to Eliot that he should try again with Quentin? And where are we going?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Margo smiled at Alice, a smile Alice had never seen before- she could only describe it as wicked, predatory… promising.. “I’ll talk to El. As for where we’re going… have you ever heard of the Room of Requirement?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>---</span>
</p>
<p>
  
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>Eliot</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Eliot sat on a couch in the corner of the common room, a half-empty tumbler of scotch in his hand and an ache in his chest. He stared into space as a few students milled around the room, talking about gathering in the Great Hall before going outside to watch the fireworks. Night had fallen not too long ago, and the fireworks would start in a few hours.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Margo had come back early, swinging through the door dressed in blue like a fucking Ravenclaw and Eliot knew his conversation with her probably wasn’t needed. But if there was one thing he was certain of, it was his need to do right by those he loved. And Bambi deserved all the happiness in the world, even if it came from a shy little brain with an almost worrisome horse obsession. But if what Eliot had seen in the forest was any indication, he was willing to bet Alice was going to surprise Margo more than the other way around.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He was sure that was happening right now- a horribly beautiful reconciliation (that he hoped to hear all about later), followed by lots of loud sex. Good for her. She deserved it.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He sighed as he swirled his drink around in his hand, listening to the ice cubes clink around the sides. He deserved what he had right now. Sitting alone on New Year’s Eve, nursing a drink and thinking about going to bed early. Alone.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>If he closed his eyes, he could still see Quentin smiling at him, feel his lips against his throat, his soft sigh of ‘El’, his palm warm in Eliot’s hand… he forced out a breath between his teeth and took another sip of his drink. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>‘</span>
  <em>
    <span>The last person in the world I’d ever love.’</span>
  </em>
  <span> Quentin would never love him. Eliot needed to accept that.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He was just about to go up to his dorm to continue his wallowing when the common room door opened, and Margo walked in. She looked… she looked well-fucked. Her lips were swollen, her hair disheveled, her robe was askew, and as she spotted Eliot and walked his way, he could swear she had an off-kilter lilt to her step.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He smirked as she made her way over to him, and daintily sat down on the end of his couch. He made a show of eyeing her up and down.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I trust things went well with Alice? I didn't see either of you at dinner."</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Margo looked at him, her eyes narrowing, evaluating. He swallowed, suddenly not sure what was coming next.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Then she sighed. And gave him a small smile.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Oh, bitch. We need to talk.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>--</span>
</p>
<p>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>tbc in Chapter 15: The Confession (Part II)</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>End Note:<br/><a href="https://imgur.com/LunxUaT">Alice and Margo in approximately five years</a></p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0015"><h2>15. The Confession (Part II)</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Eliot’s Wand Holster:<br/><a href="https://imgur.com/dzDzPhX">Image 1</a><br/><a href="https://imgur.com/cJcawYn">Image 2</a></p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <em> Quentin </em>
</p><p>Quentin stared off into space, a forgotten book open in his lap. He’d been thinking about the conversation he’d had with Alice all day (as promised), trying to work up the courage to seek Eliot out. He’d made it as far as his common room, where he now sat on a couch off in the corner.</p><p><em> ‘You’re both clearly in love with each other.’ </em> </p><p>
  <em> ‘You are going to live a very lonely life if you never take any chances.’ </em>
</p><p> He took plenty of chances. He’d asked out Rebecca, in the bookstore. <em> After she made it obvious she wanted you to </em>. He’d gone out on a date with Seb… who had asked him out and, considering how that had worked out, was probably not the best example… </p><p>His entire romantic history flashed before his eyes. His first awkward kiss in his second year at Ilvermorny with a fellow Pukwudgie named Cassandra in a late-night game of Spin the Bottle. His next kiss was in fourth year with Dylan, behind the activities storage shed (it was the school’s “make out” spot, a fact well-known to everyone but Quentin, until that day).</p><p>His short-lived fling with Ryan Miller last year (which consisted mainly of a few makeout sessions, two handjobs and a really awkward blow job) had been instigated when they were lab partners for potions, and Ryan had caught Quentin staring at him while studying (seriously he had zero chill). Quentin could remember the corner of Ryan’s lip quirking up. Two days later, Ryan had called Quentin over as he’d been about to leave the Horned Serpeant’s common room after studying with Alice, pulling him up into his dorm room and kissing him.</p><p>Quentin realized that it was true he’d never taken many chances in his life—he’d been content to just let life happen to him. The biggest risk he could think of was moving across the ocean to go to a school where he only knew two people, and even that was something he’d just kind of tagged along on for the ride. And now, he didn’t really have anything to lose. Even if Eliot rejected him again, he’d just be right where he was now—but at least he’d know. He needed to let go of his stupid fear of rejection, of change, and grow a pair and go get what he wanted. And he wanted Eliot. So much.</p><p>“Quentin!” He looked up as Todd approached, thumping down at the end of the couch. “We’re about to head to the Great Hall, and then outside to watch the fireworks. You wanna come?”</p><p>Quentin looked at Todd, considering. Eliot would probably be there- maybe he could get him alone. Talk to him. If he wasn’t, well, then Quentin would just have to go to the Slytherin common room and find him.</p><p>Quentin nodded. “Sure.” He picked up his book and was about to get up when the common room door opened. He looked at Todd, seeing an expression of bewilderment cross his face. Quentin followed Todd’s gaze to see a rather bedraggled Eliot Waugh standing in the doorway.</p><p>“Eliot!” Todd said in surprise. “Wow, you… you <em> never </em>come here. Welcome!” </p><p>Quentin scrambled to his feet, his book falling forgotten to the floor. Eliot was staring directly at him, his breath coming quickly as his gaze cut straight through Quentin. He knew his mouth was hanging open as he crossed the common room, staring right back, his heart thudding in his chest as he drank Eliot in. </p><p>Eliot’s eyes were dark as they landed on Quentin, the intensity that Quentin saw within stopping him in his tracks a few feet away. He wasn’t smiling, his expression more one of determination than anything. Quentin broke their link as he looked, really looked at Eliot. He was wearing skinny black trousers, with a dark green button down tucked in under a solid dark grey linen vest—which were all oddly wrinkled. </p><p>His wand holster was securely strapped across his chest, although he held his wand in his hand. His curls were wild, floating around his face as though they had been doused with water and left to air dry. </p><p>What mainly caught Quentin’s attention, though, was Eliot’s tie; hunter green silk, absolutely covered in a gold paisley print. The gold seemed to glimmer and move throughout the fabric, twinkling at Quentin almost playfully. Quentin looked back up to Eliot’s face, his heart nearly stopping at the naked hope he saw shining back at him.</p><p>“Quentin,” Eliot said, taking a step forward. “Can I speak with you, please?” His fingers thumped against the wand he held loosely in his hand, his eyes earnest as he stared at Quentin. “Alone,” he added, his gaze shifting to Todd, and the other students starting to look their way.</p><p>Quentin glanced around the room—the handful of students still present were watching with interest, including Josh, who was sitting in a nearby chair with a smile on his face. When Quentin met his eye, Josh shot him a not-so-discreet thumbs up.</p><p>Quentin looked back to Eliot, and opened his mouth to respond when an acidic, familiar scent hit him, knocking him off guard. “What- what is that smell?” he asked, his nose wrinkling.</p><p>Eliot rolled his eyes, his shoulders sagging. “The spell only dried my clothes—all those damn barrels look the same—”</p><p>“OH!” Todd said, surging forward. “You want a modified skurge charm. It’ll get rid of all traces of the vinegar!” Todd grabbed his wand and stepped up to Eliot, swirling it around him and saying “Skurge!” The smell evaporated, although Eliot’s appearance remained the same.</p><p>Not meeting Todd’s eyes, Eliot nodded to him. “Thanks,” he said tightly.</p><p>“No problem!” Todd said cheerfully. Then his voice lowered conspirately. “Oh, and it’s two from the bottom, middle of the second row. Rhythm of ‘Helga Hufflepuff!’ But - but don’t tell anyone I told you, ok? It’s supposed to be for Hufflepuffs only.” </p><p>Looking back at Quentin, Eliot swallowed. “Sure.” Then he nodded to Quentin, a questioning look in his eyes.</p><p>Quentin nodded back, following Eliot as he walked out the door.</p><p>Once in the hallway, Eliot turned to Quentin. He looked at him for a few moments, searching his face, for what, Quentin didn’t know. Seeming to find what he was looking for, he stepped closer, now hardly a foot away. Quentin gazed up at him, hopeful anticipation blossoming full force in his chest. His heart was racing, his mouth dry as he waited to hear what Eliot had to say.</p><p>“Quentin—” Eliot started, his voice cut off as the common room door thudded open behind him, the Hufflepuffs streaming out into the corridor. Eliot’s mouth snapped shut, and he glared at the students. He then grabbed Quentin’s hand and started walking down the hallway, pulling Quentin along with him.</p><p>Quentin followed, falling into step beside him, recognizing the route almost immediately. They walked in silence as a few students and faculty swirled around them. Eliot’s palm burned into his, their fingers squeezing every few moments. Quentin snuck glances at Eliot’s form, the strap of his wand holder was hidden under his vest, but Quentin could still see it's imprint flexing across the muscles of Eliot's back as they walked. His mind raced- what was so important that Eliot had burst into his common room, asking to speak to him? And it probably wasn't really necessary to hold his hand the entire way… although Quentin wasn't going to complain.</p><p>After a few minutes that felt like an eternity, they climbed up the stairs to the Astronomy Tower. Eliot looked around, breathing out a sigh of relief as they found it empty. Still holding Quentin’s hand, Eliot led him out to the balcony area, where nary a week ago they’d had their first kiss. And just a few days later, what could be their last.</p><p>It was cold—Quentin hadn’t grabbed his robe or cloak when they left, and Eliot was only wearing his shirt and trousers. Eliot let Quentin’s hand fall from his. He had his back turned, and he ran a hand through his hair. Then he turned to look at Quentin, his eyes forceful, brimming with a yearning and a kind of craving that Quentin knew was reflected in his own. Eliot’s wand was still clutched in his other hand, and he quickly cast a warmth charm on both of them. Quentin’s body relaxed as the cold chill dissolved. A gentle snow began to fall, flakes cascading in the air around them.</p><p>Eliot tucked his wand into his holster, Quentin following every movement. “I talked to Margo today," Eliot said, jumping right into it.</p><p>Quentin nodded dumbly, his entire body tense, waiting. </p><p>“She talked to Alice, they… reconciled,” Eliot continued. “Repeatedly, from what she told me,” he said dryly. </p><p>“Oh,” Quentin said. “OH,” he said again, realizing. “Well—that’s—great! More than I need to know, but I’m glad to hear it.” His heart sank a little as he looked at Eliot. Had he dragged him all the way up here for that?</p><p>Eliot nodded, looking down to the floor. He exhaled, and then focused back on Quentin, a new determination in his eyes. “Quentin, I- I need to apologize to you. For what I did to Alice and Margo. And for the things I... said to you.” His gaze was heavy as he looked at Quentin, as if he was trying to imprint the weight of his distress through his eyes.  “Quentin… if I could see the Eliot that stood here hardly a week ago, I would- I would literally throw him down the stairs.”</p><p>Quentin stared back at Eliot, trying to follow. “You- you’re sorry about what you said??” he asked, taking a small step back as all the blood left his face. Eliot was trying to say he never loved him. Of course.</p><p>“Yes,” Eliot said, then quickly, “No! I mean—I meant it. All of it. I just… I’m sorry for how I said it. I don’t hate how I feel about you. Not at all. Quite the opposite—you’ve made me feel more alive than I have in years, so much more than I deserve. I just… I… I’m a little damaged,” he finished quietly. </p><p>“We’re all a little damaged,” Quentin whispered, hardly hearing himself over the heavy beating of his own heart. His fingers itched, wanting to touch Eliot, grasp his fingers, shove his shirtsleeves up and run his palms over his forearms. But he was terrified that if he touched him, moved, disturbed anything at all, he might disappear like some dream. And as he gazed at Eliot, snowflakes settling on his long eyelashes, lips trembling, hazel eyes glittering in the torchlight… this he wanted to remember for the rest of his life.</p><p>Eliot nodded slowly at Quentin, swallowing. “I don’t- I don’t care that you know way more about Fillory or Lord of the Rings or Star Trek than any one person should—I- I think I kind of love that about you?” He smiled incredulously, as though the fact amazed him still. “The way you light up when you talk about- about organizing your bookshelf and crazy magical animals that are going to destroy my entire wardrobe—I wish you could look that happy all the time. I <em> want </em>to make you that happy all of the time. I don’t care that you’re in Hufflepuff, or an American… I just care that you’re one of the only people I’ve found in eighteen years who’s worth caring about.” And then he was silent, his eyes wide, staring at Quentin like he couldn’t believe the words that had come out of his mouth.</p><p>Quentin almost couldn’t believe them either. The rollercoaster he’d been on the past week, the past four months, with the tallest peaks and lowest valleys, had led them here to this moment, under a dark winter sky atop the tallest tower of the oldest wizarding school on Earth. As he stared at Eliot, everything else around them seemed to fade into the darkness. The starry heavens, the falling snow, the cold wind—it all disappeared and only he and Eliot remained, two figures standing on the highest precipice, about to take a leap into an unknown void far below.</p><p>It should have felt terrifying.</p><p>It didn’t.</p><p>It felt like the only place in the world he should be.</p><p>While Quentin desperately wanted to dive right into all of the lovely things Eliot had just said, he knew he had made just as many, if not more, mistakes as Eliot had. And Quentin needed to make his own apologies for them.</p><p>“Eliot,” he began, “After what you did for Julia and Alice, in that forest… and now what you’ve done for Margo and Alice… I’m the one that owes you an apology. I shouldn’t have doubted you or believed what Seb said. I can’t even—” </p><p>“Forget about Seb,” Eliot interrupted, taking a step closer. “I have. You weren’t the first person he used; hopefully you will be the last.” Quentin was held captive by Eliot's gaze; he was staring at, <em> into </em> Quentin like every particle of his being was consumed in a quest to brand Quentin with his words. “You know. You <em> have </em>to know. It was all for you. I saw Alice and Julia go into that forest, and I knew if anything happened to them, it would destroy you. And I talked to Margo about Alice… I was a fool. Who am I to judge who makes someone else happy when I can’t even see it for myself?” Eliot’s shoulders sagged, the corners of his mouth dragging down, reminding Quentin of the Eliot from the day with the Thestrals, beaten down and full of self-loathing. His fingers itched with wanting to touch him, even just the fabric of his shirt, the short distance between them much too far. </p><p> “Margo told me today… she talked to Alice, who told her—” Eliot broke eye contact, looking down at his feet, and then back to Quentin again. “What Margo said—made me feel —more than I’d hoped for since that night after the poker game.” Quentin’s stomach sank as he remembered his words from that night—telling Eliot that he would be the last person he’d ever love. When in fact, he was the only.</p><p>“If you meant what you said that night, please tell me. My feelings haven’t changed… if anything, they’ve only grown, but one word from you… will silence me forever.” Eliot’s voice dropped to a whisper, and Quentin took another small step towards him, now just an arm’s length away.</p><p>He was just about to speak when Eliot began talking again. “But, if you changed your mind, I have to tell you… you’ve bewitched me, Quentin Coldwater. Body and soul.” Tears shone in his eyes as he spoke, and Quentin felt one trail down his own cheek. His heart was so full he felt it could burst as he stared at the man he never truly thought he’d find in his lifetime. “I love you. If you’ll have me, I want to be with you, from this day on.”</p><p>Then he was silent, staring at Quentin, waiting. Snowflakes melted on his cheeks, giving him an ethereal glow, and Quentin couldn’t stop his smile from forming.</p><p>“My feelings never changed,” he said. At his words, Eliot’s face fell.</p><p>“I love you now,” Quentin whispered, leaning into Eliot’s space. “As I loved you then.” Then he reached forward, grasping Eliot’s face with his hands, and surged up into a kiss he felt he’d been waiting years to give.</p><p>Eliot was still, frozen for a moment, and then he came alive with a soft moan, leaning hard into Quentin, Quentin leaning right back, Eliot’s hands coming up to wrap around Quentin’s wrists. His fingers were cold, but his lips were warm, inviting, opening to Quentin as he tilted his head to deepen the kiss, their tongues colliding and Quentin wondered how he’d even considered a life where this wasn’t a daily occurrence.</p><p>Quentin’s hands slid around to the back of Eliot’s neck, one tangling up in his curls as Eliot’s arms wrapped around Quentin, pulling his body snug against his own. They kissed, tongues tracing over teeth and together, until Quentin had to pull away, breathless. Quentin trailed his lips over Eliot’s jaw, to his throat, before burying his head in the crook of Eliot’s neck, inhaling his cologne. Just underneath he could detect a spicy cinnamon scent, with an undercurrent of bourbon, then a memory from a class in Ilvermorny lit up his brain, of leaning over a cauldron of pink, bubbling Amortentia. A short laugh escaped his lips at the realization, and he wrapped his arms around Eliot, holding him close, Eliot’s arms tightened around him in response. He could feel Eliot’s chin pressing against the side of his forehead, the rise and fall of Eliot’s chest against his, his heartbeat so fast, so solid, that not even Quentin could deny the realness of the moment.</p><p>Quentin pulled back, looking up at Eliot, who gazed back at him with eyes so full of adoration Quentin had no idea how he’d missed it before tonight. Eliot’s hands came up to cradle Quentin’s face, Quentin wrapping his hands around Eliot’s wrists. “Say it again,” Quentin whispered.</p><p>Eliot pressed a kiss into Quentin’s hair. “I love…” another kiss on his forehead… “I love…” another one on his nose, “I love you.” He kissed him on his lips, gently, and then leaned his forehead against Quentin’s, his body bent over a bit. “You smell like books and bar soap.”</p><p>Quentin chuckled. “Well I don’t like… roll around in books or anything, but I do usually have a couple in my bag. And I use bar soap in the shower.”</p><p>Eliot half-groaned, half-chuckled, pulling Quentin to him in another embrace, burying his nose in his hair. “I really hate it’s turning me on.”</p><p>Quentin tilted his face up, pressing his lips against Eliot’s throat, feeling his body shiver in response. He had been so focused on the intensity of their conversation, the physical element hadn’t crossed his mind. Now, though, as he slid his fingers into Eliot’s soft locks, his body pressed fully flush against Eliot’s, it was like the dial on the saturation of his senses was turned up as high as it could go. All he could register was the heat of Eliot’s body pressing into his, the minor uptick of Eliot’s breathing as Quentin’s fingers tightened in his curls, and the sharp stubble against Quentin’s lips as he trailed them up Eliot’s jaw. He tilted his head back slightly to meet Eliot’s eyes, and found them nearly black, raw with craving. He pushed up and kissed him hard, sucking his lower lip between his own, backing Eliot up until his back thudded against the castle wall along the tower balcony.</p><p>Eliot opened to him, and Quentin slipped his tongue in his mouth as his hands slid out of his hair and down to Eliot’s chest. Only finding layers of fabric, one hand moved to rest on Eliot’s back, while the other slid up to the side of Eliot’s throat, craving bare skin to touch. A low moan escaped Eliot’s mouth, and Quentin made it a new mission to pull as many of those sounds out of Eliot as he could. Everything felt brighter, warmer, more intense—the sound of their lips pushing together and coming apart, teeth nibbling and teasing, harsh breaths inhaling through their noses, the rustle of clothing as they tangled together. Eliot pulled Quentin closer, one hand wrapping around his lower waist, grasping the fabric of Quentin’s shirt, the other gripping the back of Quentin’s neck hard, keeping Quentin pinned against him as Quentin kept him pinned against the wall. </p><p><em> Is it possible to want something more while you’re in the process of having it? </em> Quentin wondered as he pulled his hand off Eliot’s back and braced it against the stone walls of the tower, the cold surface a shock against his hot palm. He was engulfed, surrounded by Eliot and all he could think of was how to get closer, kiss harder, press every single inch of his skin against Eliot’s until he couldn’t tell where he stopped and Eliot began. He ground his hips against Eliot’s, feeling his hard, hot length pressing back. Eliot shifted, slotting a thigh in between Quentin’s legs, pressure right where Quentin wanted it, and he whimpered into Eliot’s mouth. He felt Eliot’s smile as he trailed his lips down Quentin’s jaw, ducking down to suck at his throat, right under his ear. Quentin’s breath was hard and fast, right in Eliot’s ear.</p><p>“Fuck,” he gasped, moving his hand from the wall, to Eliot’s shoulder, down his chest, moving lower to his belt, and then—</p><p>It was like he was plunged into a frozen lake as their warmth charms wore off, and both men felt the full effects of the weather, a stark reminder that they were on top of the Astronomy Tower, near the middle of the night, in late December, with no coats or cloaks.</p><p>Quentin sagged against Eliot, automatically nestling into his warmth. Eliot’s arms came to wrap around Quentin, squeezing him tight. “You wanna get out of here?” Eliot rasped, his lips barely brushing the delicate skin on Quentin’s ear.</p><p>Not trusting his ability to speak, Quentin nodded his head. His ability to walk was also in question, his dick straining against his jeans. Eliot hugged him one more time, and then grabbed his hand, leading the way out of the tower and down the stairs.</p><p>Eliot reached down and discreetly adjusted himself as they moved down the stairs, and as Quentin tracked the movement, he swallowed at the thought of getting his hands, his mouth on Eliot. Suddenly it was all he could think about it—feeling Eliot hard against his tongue, exploring, sucking until he fell apart.  “Are we going to the Room of Requirement?” Quentin asked as they entered the hallway, not sure where they could go where they wouldn’t be disturbed.</p><p>Eliot turned, giving him a surprised look. “No, no way it’ll be empty. Plus, too many bad memories. No, we’ll go to my dorm.” Then he gave Quentin another look, slowing his steps. “I mean, if that’s ok? I don’t want to—”</p><p>“Oh,” Quentin interrupted. “I want you to.” He stepped up to Eliot and kissed him, pulling his head down to meet his, Eliot eagerly returning his kiss. Suddenly Quentin found himself the one pinned up against the wall as Eliot pressed against him, licking into his mouth and grinding his hips against him. “Ok, we’re not gonna make it anywhere at this rate,” he gasped out as Eliot laved at his throat, reaching up under Quentin’s sweater to run his large palm over his stomach. </p><p>Eliot pulled slightly away, breathing hard, and placed each hand against the wall, on each side of Quentin’s face. He leaned his forehead down against Quentin’s, attempting to control his breathing. One hand left the wall, and Quentin could see it out of his peripheral vision, tracing down his chest, gliding, then Eliot’s palm was pressing into Quentin’s hard cock, Quentin’s eyes closing as he leaned his head back against the wall, hips arching up and into Eliot’s hand.</p><p>“Quentin,” he said, barely above a whisper, “It’ll be a miracle if we make it to the common room.” Then he ducked down, barely brushing his lips against Quentin’s before pulling away, grabbing Quentin’s hand and pulling him along with him.</p><p>The rest of the journey down to the dungeons was in a furtive silence, Eliot pausing at more than one closed classroom door before continuing on their way. Quentin smiled, feeling freer than he had in ages - he tamped down giggles as he stole glances at Eliot, watching his jaw flex as he walked, catching his eyes and grinning, delaying their journey more than once with a stolen kiss. He knew the hallways were cold, but he felt nothing but a soft heat in his belly and a fiery buzz in his limbs. Finally, they arrived at the Slytherin common room, and Eliot opened the door, allowing Quentin to go in first.</p><p>Quentin kept eye contact with Eliot as he went in, turning backwards, the two smiling at each other like idiots when he saw Eliot’s eyes widen as he looked into the room. “Oh my,” he said, a new grin forming on his face.</p><p>Quentin turned to follow Eliot’s line of sight. Despite the New Year's festivities happening in the Great Hall, drawing the student body in with promises of butterbeer and revelry, the common room wasn’t as empty as they had expected. Case and point; just across the room, nestled in a luxurious sofa by the fireplace, was his sister on top of Margo, frantically grabbing for a shirt to cover her chest. Margo, in her bra with her dress tugged down to her waist, just smiled at him.  “Alice!” Quentin said, covering his eyes as his erection fought between dying a quick death or responding to something Quentin really didn’t want to ever think about again.</p><p>“Quentin! Eliot!” Alice squeaked. “What are you doing here?”</p><p>“It’s my common room,” Eliot said, hardly suppressing his laughter. “<em> Anyone </em> could come and go in here as they please.”</p><p>“Are they covered up?” Quentin asked, his hand still over his eyes. There was no answer, and he cracked his fingers to see Eliot nearly doubled over in silent laughter. </p><p>“Yes, it’s fine,” Alice said tightly. Quentin looked over to see her shirt on, backwards and inside out, and Margo grudgingly pulling her dress up.</p><p>“Your timing could be better,” Margo complained once she was fully situated, as she stretched an arm along the back of the couch behind Alice.</p><p>“Well I’m sorry Bambi, maybe next time leave a sock on the doorknob,” Eliot said, having regained control over himself. He stepped over to Quentin, placing an arm around his shoulder as Quentin avoided all eye contact with his sister. Quentin looked up at him, distracted by the amusement radiating in his eyes, and the glorious smile on his face. Fuck, he was gorgeous. Eliot turned the full force of it down at Quentin, and Quentin couldn’t help but smile back.</p><p>“Ugh. Is this what I have to look forward to for the rest of the year? You two gazing at each other like starry-eyed morons?” Despite the disgust of Margo’s words, she had a small smile on her face. </p><p>“I’m happy for you, Quentin.” Alice’s soft voice floated across the room, and Quentin hesitantly met her eyes. She was smiling at him, almost radiating happiness, even as she clutched a pillow in front of her chest. </p><p>“Come and sit down! I want details,” Margo said, pointing to the couch they were sitting on. </p><p>“Sorry, Bambi,” Eliot said, all but herding Quentin across the room. “We’re busy. I’m sure you’re eager to get back to your.. activities,” Eliot said.</p><p>“You know, Quentin, your sister’s a bit of an exhibitionist,” Margo said casually. Alice turned sharply to her, who continued, nodding to Eliot. “El, take note—it may run in the family.” Eliot smiled again, shaking his head as he opened the door to his dorm.</p><p>“We’re not biologically related!” Quentin said as Eliot tugged him into the hallway.</p><p>“It’s a learned behavior!” Margo called after them, and he could still hear her laughter as he followed Eliot to his dorm.</p><p>The Slytherin dorms were much like Quentin expected—a bit darker, with similar high windows facing out into the lake that the common room had, but the same four-poster beds, torches, and furniture that Quentin saw in his own dorm were scattered around the room. The furniture matched the Slytherin decor—dark-stained wood and black leather, and a green and silver rug was on the floor. It looked like Eliot had two roommates, as three beds were in the room. Two were perfectly made; the third had covers strewn back and the dresser closest to it had a spinning tie stand atop it, filled nearly to the brim with ties of several colors (but mainly green). Quentin didn’t notice any other personal touches around the room—no pictures of friends, personal books or trinkets. Eliot’s words from the first night on the Astronomy Tower filtered back to him… <em> I don’t really have friends </em>. Quentin hoped Eliot could no longer consider that a true sentiment</p><p>Quentin watched as Eliot cast a locking charm on his door, and Quentin was pretty sure he also slipped a silencing ward over the room. Eliot extinguished all of the torches in the room, save one near his bed, and then he set about lighting a few candles, placing them on his nightstand and dresser. Quentin pulled his wand out of his pocket, setting it down on the nightstand. He watched as candlelight played across Eliot’s face, making him look like something out of a dream, or a Greek legend flickering into existence right in front of him. Quentin’s heart beat heavier in his chest, tingles moving up his throat as emotion swept over him. He was ridiculously in love with this man.</p><p>Eliot turned to Quentin, the smile on his face turning serious at seeing Quentin’s muted expression. Quentin stepped closer to him, Eliot closing the distance, enveloping Quentin in his arms. “Are you okay?” he asked the top of Quentin’s head.</p><p>“I’m amazing,” Quentin replied. “Kind of overwhelmed,” he added, without really meaning to. <em> Guess we’re going full honesty all night, ok brain, thanks for the heads up. </em> “I kind of can’t believe you’re real. That this is real.”</p><p>Eliot chuckled, Quentin feeling it rumble in his chest. “Me either.”</p><p>Quentin pulled back, looking up at Eliot, and then down at his tie. “So,” he said, the everlasting grin still on his face, “Nice tie.”</p><p>Eliot rolled his eyes and sat down on the edge of the bed, kicking off his shoes. Quentin sat next to him and removed his as well, watching as Eliot unbuttoned and removed his vest, revealing the tie in all its glory. Eliot carefully folded his vest and placed it on his nightstand, and then turned to Quentin, who immediately reached out and touched the soft fabric. The gold paisley print was indeed twinkling and swirling against the dark green background. “I wanted to make a good impression right off the bat,” he told Quentin. “But the Hufflepuff security system had other plans.” He exhaled, puffing out his cheeks as he smiled tightly.</p><p>Quentin laughed, letting the tie fall out of his grasp. He reached over and grabbed Eliot’s hand, slotting their fingers together. “You made an amazing impression,” Quentin told him. “Right from the start.” His gaze was heavy on Eliot’s, trying to communicate the weight of his words. “I wanted you from the second I saw you.”</p><p>Eliot swallowed, his smile fading as his eyes darkened. “As did I,” he whispered. He reached out, brushing a lock of hair from Quentin’s forehead, his hand grazing down the side of Quentin’s face, to his shoulder, trailing down his arm. “I’m sorry I was such a ridiculous ass that first night. I just… had a lot of baggage with Hufflepuffs. I should never have treated you like I did.”</p><p>“Don’t,” Quentin said, inching closer. “We both judged each other too quickly. It’s old news. All I want to focus on right now is you." He squeezed Eliot’s hand, Eliot squeezing back and nodding, his eyes dark and hazy as he focused on Quentin. “Eliot- I- I would never hurt you the way Mike did. You’re so…” he struggled to find the right words, “full of light.” Quentin studied Eliot’s face—his sharp jaw, dotted with stubble, his soft lips, parted as his breath hitched, his eyes wet with unshed tears, and his hair falling softly across his forehead. He was an Adonis among peasants.</p><p>Quentin could feel tears sting his own eyes, and he shoved aside his embarrassment, needing to get his words out.  “He’s an idiot to throw you away like that. I am so <em> ridiculously </em> in love with you.  I’ve never— <em> wanted </em>—someone like this—”</p><p>“Fuck, Quentin, if I don’t get my hands on you right now, I’m going to explode.” Eliot lunged forward, Quentin reacting immediately, bodies, lips, teeth colliding as they pulled at each other, pushing as close together as they could. Quentin searched out any skin he could find, fingers on Eliot’s neck, in his hair, pushing on his shirt sleeves and untucking his shirt to caress his back. Eliot pulled Quentin’s sweater up to his armpits, separating long enough to actually get it off a non-starter, his hands searching all over Quentin’s back, stomach, and chest, scratching lightly over the hair there. Quentin shivered, goosebumps breaking out over his arms as tendrils of warmth tingled through his body wherever Eliot touched him. His erection had waned in the common room, but was quickly returning, pressing against his pants as he and Eliot tangled together.</p><p>Eliot moved backwards on the bed, pulling Quentin along with him, until he was settled upright against his pillows and the solid wood headboard. Eliot tugged Quentin on top of him, and Quentin straddled Eliot, slipping a leg around him. Quentin exhaled slowly as he settled right on Eliot’s lap, feeling the hard line of Eliot’s dick pressing right against his own.</p><p>Eliot kissed him hungrily, his hands reaching under Quentin’s sweater and undershirt, pulling them up and over his head, tossing them on the bed next to them. Eliot’s hands immediately descended on his bare skin, one hand splaying over his chest while the other firmly gripped the back of Quentin’s neck. The pressure made Quentin go boneless, sagging into Eliot as they kissed forcefully, Eliot’s grip making Quentin feel possessed, owned, and he couldn’t get enough of it.  </p><p>Quentin reached up to Eliot’s tie, attempting to loosen it as they kissed, Eliot’s hands still exploring his torso. The tie seemed stronger than he was though—one tug, and then another and it wouldn’t budge. He quickly gave up, moving his hands to the buttons on Eliot’s shirt, as Eliot chuckled, pulling away.</p><p>“It’s charmed,” Eliot said. “I can tie most tie knots, but not one this complicated.” He pulled his wand out of his holster, tapping it against the tie and muttering an incantation, and Quentin watched as the tie came apart. Eliot set his wand on the nightstand next to Quentin's, and turned back to him.</p><p>Quentin leaned in, kissing Eliot’s neck as he worked the buttons on his shirt, exposing first his sharp collarbones, which he wasted no time in attaching his lips to, then Eliot’s chest. Eliot ran his hands through Quentin’s hair as he worked, and Quentin laved on Eliot’s neck as he pulled Eliot’s shirt out of his pants and opened the last button on it.</p><p>“What do you want to do?” Eliot asked breathlessly, a shiver running through his body as Quentin carded his fingers through the hair on Eliot’s chest, his shirt still held on in place by the wand holster. Quentin made no move to fully remove it yet, instead running his lips over Eliot’s neck, his collarbone, up to the delicate spot below his ear, as his hands roamed over every inch of Eliot’s exposed skin. Eliot was so warm, heat radiating as Quentin’s fingertips explored. His chest was rising and falling with harsh breaths as Quentin’s hands scritched in his chest hair, splayed over his ribs and snaked around to his back, his nails digging in as Quentin thrust his hips against Eliot’s, groaning at the waves of pleasure moving through his body. He was painfully hard; the influx of sensation was almost overwhelming while somehow still being calming. As soon as Eliot had taken him in his arms, his brain had become blissfully quiet. He hadn't felt this strange balance of peace and rapturous chaos since that Christmas Eve night in the Astronomy Tower. </p><p>“Everything,” Quentin answered. Eliot smiled as his hands descended down Quentin’s back to his ass, pulling him forward roughly as Quentin tightened his leg around Eliot, grinding against Eliot’s hard cock, kissing and stroking his tongue inside Eliot’s mouth. Eliot broke away, licking his jaw, over to his ear.</p><p>“Tell me what you’ve thought about. All these months.” Eliot kissed his earlobe, and then tugged it between his teeth.</p><p>Quentin inhaled sharply, tilting his head to allow Eliot better access. “I thought about…” he started, his thoughts blanking as Eliot nibbled on his neck, his blunt teeth scraping across Quentin’s skin.</p><p>“Yeah?” Eliot asked, his hand snaking down Quentin’s chest, over his belly button. “Tell me what’s in that pretty little head of yours.” His hand descended, cupping Quentin’s erection through his pants.</p><p>Quentin panted, his eyes closed as Eliot lightly squeezed, Quentin leaning heavily into his touch. His hands were on Eliot’s lower back, still under his shirt, Eliot’s mouth licking and biting his throat and collarbone. Dimly he realized that Eliot wanted an actual answer, and he tried to focus on something other than coming completely undone in his pants.</p><p>“I thought about you, touching you,” he whispered, turning his head into Eliot’s ear. </p><p>Eliot groaned, one hand gripping Quentin’s bare back as the other lightly stroked his dick, now pressing painfully against his pants. “Yeah, baby? You want to get your hands on me?”</p><p>“Yes,” Quentin hissed as Eliot pressed harder. “I - I imagined you in my mouth. Sucking your cock.” An image popped up in Quentin’s mind, and before he could stop himself, one hand reaching up to grasp a handful of Eliot’s shirt, and the wand holster that was straining against Eliot’s lithe muscles. “Wearing this.”</p><p>Eliot’s movements paused in surprise as he pulled back from Quentin, looking at where his hand rested. Quentin felt all the blood rush to his face, but he tried to tamp down the embarrassment rearing up. “You want me to keep my shirt on? Sure,” Eliot said, leaning forward to reclaim Quentin’s lips.</p><p>“N-no,” Quentin said. Eliot paused and Quentin forced himself to meet his eyes. “Not the shirt. Just the holster.” Then he quickly glanced away, a wave of mortification threatening to overtake him. That fantasy had been a favorite ever since that first night in the Ravenclaw common room when Eliot had stretched his legs out, the leather straining across his torso as he relaxed in the chair. If it had been a record, Quentin would have worn it out twenty times over for how many times it replayed in his mind. Still, he couldn’t believe he’d actually said it out loud. He felt a flicker of anxiety in his stomach as he waited for Eliot’s response.</p><p>Eliot’s fingers touched Quentin’s chin, turning his face, forcing him to look directly at Eliot. He gave in to the touch, hesitantly meeting Eliot’s eyes, finding his pupils blown, his expression full of heat as Eliot grasped his chin and held him in place as he kissed him hard. </p><p>Eliot kept their lips connected as he hurriedly pulled off his holster, and then the shirt under it, breaking away as he tossed the shirt off into the darkness. Quentin moved off of Eliot, scooting back on the bed, watching as Eliot climbed off the bed and stood next to it, picking up the holster and sliding it back into place, fastening the buckles. Then he looked at Quentin, and underneath the simmering heat in his gaze was a raw vulnerability, a slight insecurity that Quentin may not have noticed if he had not seen it so many times in the mirror.</p><p>Quentin stared at Eliot, consuming him like a man possessed. His lips were swollen, marks already forming around his collarbone from Quentin’s affections; his soft curls were wild, falling over his forehead and around his face. The black leather holster was buckled into place, the torch and candle light flickering shadows across his lean chest and strong shoulders. One band was secured just under his pecs, which were rising and falling softly as he gazed at Quentin. Another strap connected the slot for the wand, sitting tightly over one shoulder. The silver hardware on the holster shone in the candlelight, and Quentin could see Eliot’s breath come faster as he felt Quentin’s eyes on him. He was the sexiest thing Quentin had ever seen. </p><p>Quentin pushed forward, climbing off the bed, reaching down to adjust his cock through his pants, Eliot’s eyes tracking the movement. He thought it was impossible to get anymore turned on, to <em> want </em>any more than he did right this moment, but as his gaze dipped down below Eliot's stomach, seeing the large bulge straining against his pants, he felt his almost delirious with how much he hungered for the man standing in front of him.</p><p>Quentin pushed up and kissed Eliot, one hand grasping the leather strap just under his chest, pulling him in tight. He pulled away, Eliot chasing his lips for a moment. Quentin looked up into his eyes, seeing that flicker of insecurity still present, and he couldn’t let it stand any longer.  "You're so fucking beautiful," he said, and then he pulled Eliot against him, kissing him eagerly as he turned Eliot, manuevering him to sit on the bed. Then he sank to his knees in front of him.</p><p>Eliot watched as Quentin undid Eliot’s belt, and then his pants, leaning in close to kiss Eliot’s chest and stomach as he grabbed the waistband of his pants, tugging down. Eliot lifted himself up, and Quentin pulled his pants and underwear down his long legs, tugging them off his feet, taking Eliot’s socks off with them. He set them aside, and ran his hands up Eliot’s thighs, unconsciously wetting his lips at the sight of Eliot’s long, thick cock standing proudly in a bed of dark, wiry hair. <em> Guess the wand really does match the wizard </em> , he thought absently. Quentin couldn’t wait to get his mouth on him, even while nervous butterflies were going crazy in his stomach at the reality of <em> actually getting his mouth on him </em>.</p><p>Unbidden, Quentin thought back to his few prior relationships at Ilvermorny—one of his few encounters in his dorm room with Ryan had ended up with Quentin basically attacking Ryan’s dick with his mouth, thinking he’d make up for his inexperience with enthusiasm. It hadn’t worked out as he’d hoped, as just a few minutes later Ryan had gently pulled away, suggesting a handjob instead. Ryan had gotten bored with Quentin not too long after, and Quentin had never had another chance to redeem himself. He’d had a lot of time to think about how to make it better, though. Especially with Eliot… he knew he wanted to take his time. Savor him, every sound that he could coax from Eliot’s lips, the scent of him as he trembled in Quentin’s mouth, the taste of his cock heady on Quentin’s tongue. And as he leaned forward, grasping Eliot, stroking him from base to tip and watching in wonderment as Eliot shuddered in response, he felt a sudden surge of confidence that he’d get a better response this time.</p><p>Not so confident that he was ready to just dive in, though.</p><p>“So,” Quentin said, leaning forward to press his lips into Eliot’s stomach so he didn’t have to make eye contact for this confession, “I’ve only done this once before. It didn’t go so great. I might be bad at it.”</p><p>He felt Eliot’s fingers under his chin, tipping his face until he was forced to look into Eliot’s eyes. “That’s … not possible,” Eliot whispered, his hand cupping Quentin’s face. Quentin turned his face into Eliot’s palm, kissing it, and then he lowered his mouth to Eliot’s cock, experimentally licking the tip. It was hot against his tongue, salty, pliable. Eliot reacted, biting back a moan as Quentin brought up one hand to caress Eliot’s balls, the other giving a few experimental strokes. Quentin reached over and grabbed his wand from the nightstand, feeling Eliot’s eyes on him as he cast a lubrication charm, and then a protection charm (even though he really should have done that a few licks ago, but he was proud of himself just for remembering it at all), feeling the magic cascade over both of them.</p><p>“Can’t do those nonverbally?” Eliot teased as Quentin set his wand back on the nightstand.</p><p>Quentin smirked up at Eliot, hoping the darkness covered how red he was sure his face was. “No, not quite,” he replied as he gripped Eliot with his slick hand, hearing an answering hiss as he gave a few experiment strokes. Tentatively, he leaned down, wrapping his lips around the head of Eliot’s cock, keeping one hand stroking the base, the other caressing up Eliot’s belly, to his chest, his fingers firmly wrapping around the cool leather strap of the holster, using it to anchor himself as he took in a few more inches, swirling his tongue around the heavy weight in his mouth.</p><p>Eliot’s hand returned to the back of Quentin’s head, not pushing, but threading his fingers through his hair as Quentin moved his lips over Eliot’s cock. Quentin experimented, taking Eliot deep in his mouth, sucking and rubbing his tongue over the hot skin, relishing the guttural sounds pouring out of Eliot’s mouth, the shudders running through his body.</p><p>“Fuck, in what world would anyone think you’re bad at this,” Eliot gasped, leaning one hand back on the bed as Quentin relaxed his throat, taking him in deep. Quentin moved his hand from Eliot’s dick down to cup his balls, Quentin’s eyes tearing up as he breathed harshly through his nose. He felt Eliot’s fingers gently brush his hair out of his face, and Quentin glanced up to see Eliot watching him, his lips parted, eyes shining as he watched Quentin stretch his mouth around him.</p><p>Quentin could feel Eliot’s fingers spasming against his head, and the hand Quentin had grasping Eliot’s holster traced the strap around to Eliot’s back, gripping tightly as he concentrated on making it as good for Eliot as he could. He pulled back off Eliot’s cock, catching his breath, then diving back in, lowering his hand from Eliot’s balls to press lightly against his perineum, relishing Eliot’s gasp as he leaned even further back on the bed to give Quentin more access. </p><p>Quentin gently pushed on Eliot’s chest, keeping Eliot’s cock in his mouth, following as Eliot fell to his back. Quentin had his feet on the floor beside the bed, his top half bent over, his mouth working Eliot’s dick as one hand tightly gripped Eliot’s collarbone, just under his throat, and the other pushed back just a little further towards Eliot’s ass to circle the tight rim of flesh.</p><p>Eliot gripped Quentin’s hair hard at that, pulling slightly, and Quentin felt his cock respond to the sharp pain, then the soothing touch of Eliot’s fingers on his scalp. Quentin continued his efforts, able to make some words out of the noises flying out of Eliot’s mouth.</p><p>“Fuck, Quentin, I’m sorry. You’re so good baby, so fucking good. Never bad, I’m close, fuck, I’m gonna, you -”</p><p>Quentin glanced up at Eliot, wanting to see his face as he came apart in his mouth. Eliot’s head was thrown back, his eyes squeezed tightly shut, one hand gripping the covers so tightly his knuckles were white, his lips wet and parted as his entire body twitched and shuddered, his hips just barely moving up, his thighs straining with the tension of holding back from fucking into Quentin’s mouth.</p><p>Quentin’s own erection throbbed painfully in his jeans, and he quickly took his hand off Eliot’s chest and reached down to undo his belt and zipper, giving at least some relief to the pressure. Then he relaxed his throat, taking Eliot as far down as he could, while one slick finger pressed and teased at Eliot’s entrance.</p><p>Eliot’s body seized up, his hand pulling almost painfully at Quentin’s hair as he came down Quentin’s throat, Quentin swallowing it down as he watched Eliot’s face contort in pleasure, gasps and a soft laugh escaping Eliot’s lips.</p><p>Quentin wanted to work Eliot until it became too much, but he had to let Eliot’s cock slip from his lips as he coughed hard, not fully prepared for the force of Eliot’s orgasm. He wiped the tears from his eyes as he crawled up the bed and lay next to Eliot, who had one arm thrown over his eyes as he caught his breath. Quentin watched him, one hand trailing over Eliot’s chest, teasing over the leather straps when Eliot suddenly reached over and pulled Quentin’s face to his, kissing him sloppily, his tongue diving into Quentin’s mouth as if he were a man starved. Eliot pulled away and looked at Quentin.</p><p>“There’s no way that’s only the second time you’ve done that. And I’m really sorry for all the hair pulling… I got a little carried away.”</p><p>Quentin chuckled as Eliot pushed his hair out of his face. “It’s fine. I kind of liked it.… and that was the second time I’ve done it. I guess I’m just a quick study.” He waggled his eyebrows at Eliot as he ducked in for another kiss.</p><p>Eliot held his face close, rolling over on top of Quentin as his tongue explored his mouth thoroughly. He pulled back slightly, running his fingers through Quentin’s hair. “You like having your hair pulled, quick study?” he asked, with a raised eyebrow. At Quentin’s hesitant nod, he said, “Noted.” Then his eyes darkened as one hand reached down, right inside Quentin’s open jeans to palm his cock, and it was all Quentin could do to not come at just one touch of Eliot’s confident grip.</p><p>“Fuck,” he whispered, pushing his head back into the mattress as Eliot’s hand moved up and down his dick, smearing the bead of precum over the head. Eliot leaned his warm body halfway on top of Quentin, sucking Quentin’s bottom lip into his mouth as Quentin’s eyes rolled back into his head as he tried to not come immediately.</p><p>“Move over to the pillows,” Eliot whispered, nodding to the head of the bed. Quentin sat up on his elbows, awkwardly shuffling over, pausing when Eliot pulled off his jeans and underwear in one smooth motion. Then Quentin was laying fully naked in the Slytherin dorm room, his head on a soft pillow as Eliot hovered over him, his eyes ravenous as they trailed over Quentin’s body. Quentin had never felt as exposed as he did right that second, his cock standing at attention, and he resisted the urge to squirm under Eliot’s intense gaze. </p><p>Eliot palmed his cheek again, leaning down and kissing Quentin, long and slow. He pulled away, his breath hot against Quentin’s lips. “You are exquisite,” he whispered, closing the space between them again. Quentin reached up and pulled Eliot down against him, relishing the feel of Eliot’s bare chest against his as Eliot settled down, half on top of him. Eliot shifted his leg, his thigh trailing along Quentin’s cock, Quentin squirming against Eliot, chasing the contact.</p><p>“Tell me more of your fantasies,” Eliot whispered in his ear, his hand trailing, so fucking lightly, over the tops of Quentin’s thighs, teasing, so close to where Quentin wanted his touch. “While I go down on you.” He kissed Quentin one more time, and then started feathering kisses down his throat, to his chest.</p><p>“Um,” Quentin said, his mind suddenly blanking. Eliot’s lips trailed over a nipple, his hands still teasing on Quentin’s thighs. “It’s really hard to think of anything when you’re doing that—” he gasped as Eliot reached up and tweaked a nipple as his lips descended to his belly.</p><p>“I have faith in your ability to multitask,” Eliot said, his mouth trailing over Quentin’s thighs.</p><p>Quentin grasped Eliot’s shoulder as Eliot nuzzled Quentin’s cock, his tongue darting out to lick a broad stripe from base to tip. Quentin suddenly realized his need to focus on something other than Eliot’s mouth and hands right now, or this would all be over very soon. “Do you remember the Slytherin common room party, after the Quidditch match?” he blurted out, his eyes squeezing shut.</p><p>Eliot paused, and Quentin could feel his curious gaze on him. “Yes,” Eliot said. “Vividly. Why?” Then he steadied one hand on Quentin’s belly, the other wrapped around Quentin’s cock as he wrapped his lips right around the head and sucked.</p><p>“Nnngggh.” Quentin pushed his head back into the pillow, his hips arching up into Eliot’s mouth. Eliot used the hand on his chest to keep him steady against the mattress, and released Quentin from his mouth, at which point Quentin actually fucking whimpered. </p><p>“Why, Quentin?” he asked again, then he closed his mouth back around Quentin’s dick.</p><p>“That- that night, when you- you…” he trailed off, so close to exploding he could hardly stand it.</p><p>Eliot backed off again, Quentin wanting to cry at the loss. “When I helped you fix my glass that Margo shattered, and then I had to run off before I tackled you to the couch?”</p><p>“Y-yes,” Quentin replied. “Wait, what?”</p><p>“Finish your story and I’ll finish you,” Eliot said, nosing again at Quentin’s cock, licking off the white bead of moisture forming at the tip.</p><p>“Fuck. After I left, was the first time I jerked off thinking about you.” </p><p>Silence hung in the air, and suddenly Eliot descended on Quentin’s cock, taking him down to the root, his nose nuzzling at the coarse hair between his legs. He moaned around Quentin, all heat and wetness, and then Quentin was coming, his mind fracturing, nails digging into Eliot’s shoulder, his back arching, nonsense spewing from his mouth as Eliot sucked it all down. Eliot’s own hand held onto Quentin’s chest, gripping tightly as Quentin convulsed in Eliot’s mouth, until the intensity was too much and Quentin gently pulled his hips away from Eliot’s face. Eliot let him go then, quickly moving up Quentin’s body, kissing him, tongue stroking into his mouth, Quentin tasting himself on Eliot’s lips. He could feel Eliot already half-hard again against his thigh, and he shivered at the thought that he could have such an effect on someone who, at one time, he thought was so indifferent.</p><p>Eliot sat up and removed his holster, an apologetic look on his face, as Quentin turned on his side, facing Eliot.</p><p>"Sorry, but it's starting to chafe," he told Quentin. Quentin nodded and hummed, smiling softly, completely content to have a fantasy fulfilled. Eliot laid on his side next to Quentin, and then gathered him in his arms, legs intertwined on top of the soft quilt. Eliot’s face was serious and buoyant all at the same time, his eyes searching over Quentin’s face, the corner of his lips perking up. He reached out and traced Quentin’s mouth with his fingertips, trailed down his neck and then back up to his ear, as if he were memorizing all the pathways of Quentin’s skin. They laid there, breathing together, just staring for several minutes until Eliot broke the silence.</p><p>“I really love you, you know,” he whispered. </p><p>“I know,” Quentin whispered back. They’d already said the words, but the moment felt very weighted, as if saying it here, naked in every way, really cemented what Quentin had already known in his heart. “I really love you.” He reached forward, cupping Eliot’s cheek in his hand, bringing their lips together in a soft kiss.</p><p>Then he pulled back, looked deep into Eliot’s eyes, and said, “Most fucking ardently,” with an entirely straight face.</p><p>Eliot looked at him for a second, and then broke out laughing, turning onto his back. “Fuck you,” he said in between gasps.</p><p>“Who even talks like that?” Quentin asked, laughing with him. </p><p>“British people! I wanted to get the message across, you fucking brat.” Eliot let out another laugh, and then reached over and kissed Quentin again. Quentin responded quickly, pushing his tongue into Eliot’s mouth, Eliot pulling him closer until their bodies were flush against each other. </p><p>Quentin could feel Eliot hard again, and his own dick was starting to stir, despite having just had one of the most intense orgasms he could remember. They kissed for a few minutes and were getting heated again, hands wandering, when Eliot pulled back.</p><p>“So,” he said, his voice raspy, “You said you’d only ever given one blowjob before… what else have you done?” His eyes were tender as he swallowed, looking as though he was both anticipating and dreading Quentin’s answer.</p><p>Quentin’s hands were wandering as they talked, over Eliot’s wrists, arms, shoulders, dragging his nails down his chest, over the hair on his belly, wrapping around to squeeze his ass before doing the whole route over again. “Not a lot… a few handjobs, some fingering. I’ve never…” he trailed off, nerves returning to his stomach, his eyes darting to and from Eliot’s face.  “Have you?”</p><p>Eliot’s brow furrowed as he traced his fingers up and down Quentin’s arm. “Yeah, a few times. Do you… do you want to?” His eyes met Quentin’s, that soft vulnerability back in place.</p><p>“Yes,” Quentin said immediately, almost before Eliot had even finished his sentence. He wanted to be filled, consumed by Eliot, to be as close to one person as humanly possible. His dick fully hardened just at the thought, and he pressed closer to Eliot, their cocks rubbing together as he kissed Eliot’s neck.</p><p>Eliot made a cut off noise as Quentin threw a leg over Eliot’s, reaching down and wrapping one hand around both of them. “How do you—” Eliot started, his breath coming hard. Then he reached down and stilled Quentin’s hand. “Okay, you need to stop that if we’re going to talk about this.”</p><p>Quentin smiled against Eliot’s jawline. “Ok, I’ll behave.” He moved his hand up to rest on Eliot’s chest, but he still softly moved his hips forward and back, lightly thrusting, enjoying the feel of Eliot’s hard cock sliding against his.</p><p>“Um, so do you want…” Eliot trailed off, and Quentin suddenly understood his question. He paused, not sure how to say it, and then decided to just say it, because if he couldn’t say it he probably shouldn’t be doing it.</p><p>“I want you to fuck me.” Eliot’s eyes went dark at his words, and the fingers that had been trailing up and down Quentin’s arm spasming and clamping down tightly.</p><p>"O-okay," he stammered. "Are you sure? Because—"</p><p>"Yes," Quentin cut him off. Suddenly it was the only thing he wanted. To be that close to Eliot, as close as you could get to another person. A surge of heat seared through his body as he imagined it, and his fingers twitched against Eliot’s chest.  "Look, I wanna do all the things with you, but right now… I want you inside me." Again, Quentin marveled at how comfortable he was with Eliot. Not even a few hours ago, he wouldn’t have even said those words in his own head, let alone <em> out loud, in front of an actual person </em>, and now here he was, declaring what he wanted so boldly and easily.</p><p>Eliot eyes widened a bit, and he reached forward and tucked a lock of hair behind Quentin’s ear. “How do you even exist?” he breathed and then his hand made that grip on the back of Quentin’s neck that caused his body to just give, and he kissed Quentin, rolling him onto his back as Eliot laid his naked body full on top of him.</p><p>Quentin’s hips surged up as Eliot’s pushed down, Quentin’s hands grasping and moving all over Eliot’s back and ass as they kissed, Quentin breaking away to lick his way across Eliot’s jaw, to that spot on the side of his neck that made Eliot hiss.</p><p>“S-so,” Eliot said, his hand moving along Quentin’s side as their hips continued to push and tease, their cocks dragging together, Quentin pushing up into the crease of Eliot’s thigh. “There are spells we can use to get you ready.”</p><p>“Yeah, I know,” Quentin said, tugging an earlobe between his teeth. He released it as he palmed Eliot’s ass, pulling him down right where he wanted him. “I’m fine with that.”</p><p>“You know?” Eliot asked, sounding surprised, as he reached over Quentin, to the nightstand for his wand.</p><p>“Yeah,” Quentin said, absently, then he scraped his teeth along the new angle Eliot’s neck presented to him, pleased with the sharp intake of breath he heard in response. “I know most all sex magic, at least the basic movements and incantations.” He felt his dick twitch, not entirely shocked that discussion of his magic knowledge would constitute dirty talk for him.</p><p>Eliot’s brow furrowed as he settled back on top of Quentin, his wand held loosely in one hand as his eyes closed under Quentin’s continued ministrations. Then his eyes opened, and he said, “Oh, because Alice’s—”</p><p>“Please don’t bring up my sister right now,” Quentin said immediately. He pulled his head back against the pillows, looking up at Eliot’s amused expression. “Not if you want this to keep going.”</p><p>Eliot chuckled, ducking his head to kiss along Quentin’s collarbone, his body starting to move down the bed. Quentin continued, “But yes, living and going to school with the daughter of the witch that basically invented the entire catalogue of sex magic meant that I was well aware of every spell.” The sex ed course at Ilvermorny had basically been written by Alice’s mom, something that caused Alice to sit tall in her seat, daring anyone to make a single crass comment to her about her dead family. Quentin had taken it in his typical fashion- ducking low in his seat, his face bright red as wizards glanced back at him as the name ‘Stephanie Quinn’ was said over and over for every single freakin’ spell the instructor demonstrated.</p><p>Quentin shook those memories away as he looked at Eliot, who had descended down to his hips, and had one hand on Quentin’s cock, the other nosing at Quentin’s balls. There were much more inviting things to think about right now. </p><p>He watched as Eliot raised his wand, jerking it over his groin while muttering an incantation, and Quentin’s eyes closed and his back arched as he felt the magic take hold, a furious pressure, uncomfortable but not painful, bubbling up through his body, cleaning and readying him for Eliot. It only took seconds, and then Eliot was rubbing his hands comfortingly over his thighs, chasing away any irritation.</p><p>Eliot set his wand aside, and then he reached up and over, grabbing a pillow. “Put this under your hips. Then I think I want to eat you out first. Is that ok?” Eliot arched an eyebrow at Quentin, a familiar smirk playing on his lips as Quentin’s cock twitched at Eliot’s words.</p><p>“Y-yes. That’s ok. That’s very ok.”</p><p>Once he was certain Quentin was comfortable, Eliot wasted no time diving in, his hands on Quentin’s thighs and calves, moving and pushing his legs to get a better angle. Quentin was lost, Eliot’s tongue and lips wet and searching in brand new places. Any nerves Quentin had melted away under Eliot’s attention—the sensations were new, weird at first, but it only took seconds for Quentin to turn into a quivering mass of nerves under Eliot’s lips. </p><p>“Fuck me,” Quentin grunted when Eliot’s tongue moved to circle Quentin’s tight ring of muscle, dipping in teasingly. </p><p>Eliot pulled away— “In a minute, dear,”—and then he pushed back in, his tongue easily slipping inside, while one hand fondled Quentin’s balls, his cock hard and leaking at his belly. Quentin lifted his hands above his head, looking for a headboard, anything to hold on to as Eliot explored. He eventually just clutched the quilt under him, not trusting himself to be gentle if he put his hands in Eliot’s hair.</p><p>Eliot knew what he was doing, reacting to every sound and movement Quentin made—and Quentin was suddenly very thankful for the silencing ward Eliot had put up, as his gasps and groans were only getting louder as soon he was pressing against Eliot’s face, wanting more and more. “Shit, fuck, El,” he gasped out, his entire body on fire, waves of pleasure cresting straight to his cock, and it had only been a minute or two before he pulled away from Eliot’s voracious mouth, knowing that if he kept going, it would be over for Quentin before they even really got started.</p><p>“You’re really good at that,” Quentin said, his hands trembling as Eliot crawled back up his body. Eliot smiled, kissing him, one hand still touching below, one finger sliding inside. Quentin gasped, and Eliot stroked his tongue into Quentin’s open mouth, adding another finger. Quentin’s hands finally buried in Eliot’s hair, his hips moving back against Eliot’s fingers, craving more, the sensation of wanting to be filled foreign and familiar all at the same time.</p><p>Eliot scissored his fingers, opening him up a bit more, even though Quentin knew the magic should take care of it - but he loved the feeling of Eliot’s fingers pushing inside him, taking care of him. Eliot leaned his forehead against Quentin’s as he made one final thrust with his fingers, dragging them slowly as he pulled out, hitting just the right angle, Quentin’s eyes rolling back in his head.</p><p>Eliot settled back on top of Quentin, holding himself up on one elbow as he dropped another kiss on Quentin’s waiting lips. Quentin gazed up at him, feeling weightless, boneless, open and ready for whatever came next. Eliot caught his eye and paused, whatever he saw in Quentin’s eyes turning his face serious, swallowing hard as he studied Quentin.</p><p>“What?” Quentin asked, suddenly self-conscious.</p><p>The corner of Eliot’s mouth quirked up at that, his eyes crinkling. “Nothing,” he said. “You’re just beautiful. I don’t know how I got so lucky.” Eliot leaned down and kissed him, a very light brush of the lips, Quentin’s hands coming up to cradle his face.</p><p>Eliot hooked one of Quentin’s legs over his shoulder, lining up his cock against Quentin’s slick entrance. Just the tease of Eliot <em> right there </em>, had Quentin right back on the edge.  “Try to relax into it. And tell me if you need to stop or anything,” he told Quentin, who nodded, his hands moving down Eliot’s back.</p><p>Then Eliot pressed forward, the tip of his cock pushing against Quentin, past the tight rim, the head just slipping inside. Quentin felt his skin stretch, and he was suddenly thankful for the extra attention Eliot had given him, a slight burn making him hiss. Eliot immediately stopped, and Quentin was thankful and irate all at the same time. </p><p>“Are- are you ok?” Eliot asked, his arm straining from the effort of keeping still. “Fuck, just this feels amazing.”</p><p>Quentin relaxed his body and squirmed experimentally, causing Eliot to slip in further, pulling a moan from Eliot’s lips. It was tight, so fucking tight, every nerve ending in his body felt alight, as if he could send sparks flying out of his fingertips at any moment. “Yeah,” Quentin said, “Keep- keep going.”</p><p>Eliot pushed forward again, slowly, almost agonizingly, allowing Quentin to get used to the feeling of him. Quentin desperately wanted to reach down, palm Eliot’s ass, and shove him deep inside, but he let Eliot set the pace. A few more slow pushes, and Eliot was fully seated, their hips flush, Quentin’s cock trapped between them, leaking onto his stomach.</p><p>“Fuck, Q, you were made for this. You have no idea how good you feel, so tight around my cock.” Eliot panted into Quentin’s neck, his back muscles taut under Quentin’s hands.</p><p>Quentin felt so tight and full, light and heavy, floating and grounded all at the same time. It was everything he thought it would be and nothing like it at all. He was fully surrounded, encompassed by Eliot, and he would have it no other way.  He threaded one hand in Eliot’s hair, gently pulling his head up so he could kiss him. Their lips separated with an audible pop, and Quentin said, “You can move.”</p><p>Eliot pulled out a few inches, and then pushed back in, Quentin keening as Eliot’s cock hit just the right angle to send waves of bliss throughout his body. Unable to resist, he moved one hand down to palm Eliot’s ass, squeezing as Eliot set a rhythm, in and out, setting his nerve endings on fire, his stomach rubbing against Quentin’s dick with every thrust.</p><p>“Yes,” Eliot breathed, sweat starting to bead on his forehead. “Fucking touch me, baby. Anywhere you want.”</p><p>Quentin wrapped his other leg around Eliot’s thigh, starting to move with him, pushing back against Eliot as he thrusted into Quentin, grunting and moaning. Eliot roughly pushed one hand into Quentin’s hair, squeezing and lightly pulling, tingles radiating from Quentin’s scalp directly to his cock. Eliot pulled Quentin’s lips to his, kissing him sloppily, teeth clashing, Eliot thrusting his tongue into Quentin’s mouth. </p><p>Quentin ripped his mouth away as Eliot pushed up on one elbow, snaking one hand between them, grasping Quentin’s cock and stroking it. “Jesus, fuck, El,” he said, gasping as he knew he wasn’t going to last much longer. His hands spasmed on Eliot’s damp skin, nails digging into his back.</p><p>“Are you gonna come?” Eliot asked, thrusting harder, faster, his control rapidly slipping away, his lips against Quentin’s neck, at his ear, panting into his hair. “Gonna come on my cock?”</p><p>“Fuck, yes,” Quentin breathed, and Eliot’s grip on his cock tightening almost painfully, stroking him faster. “Fuck me harder,” he said, and a garbled noise escaped Eliot’s lips as he let go of Quentin’s cock, bracing himself on his knees as he thrusted faster, slamming into Quentin, rutting his body over Quentin’s cock.</p><p>It only took a few more strokes and Quentin saw stars behind his eyelids, he thought the same ones that had shone above them while they shared their first kiss on the Astronomy tower, his body clamping down hard on Eliot’s dick, come spurting on his belly and his chest, his hands gripping Eliot’s skin as his back arched, waves of bliss flowing through his body. Eliot fucked him erratically for a few more strokes, and then he came with a grunt, followed by an almost surprised laugh, his cock pulsing in Quentin’s body.</p><p>Eliot let Quentin’s leg slip off his shoulder, his full weight tilting onto Quentin. It felt solid, real, comfortable—safe. Quentin let a hand drift up to rest on the back of Eliot’s neck, threading through the damp curls there. Eliot panted at Quentin’s neck, trailing a thumb over Quentin’s shoulder. After a moment, Eliot picked his head up and peered down at Quentin, who met his eyes. </p><p>Quentin’s breath caught in his throat, and tears sprang to his eyes at the love he saw shining through Eliot’s hazel eyes. His mind flashed to the first time he had seen them- across the Great Hall, full of wonder and curiosity, just four short months ago that may as well have been a lifetime. If he’d only known where that first heated glance would take him. This entire night had felt like a dream, one he thought he’d wake up from at any second, but as he trailed his fingers down the side of Eliot’s face, he knew he’d found something that would last forever.</p><p>“Hey,” Eliot said softly, leaning his head on his hand, his soft cock still partially inside Quentin.  “You doing ok?”</p><p>“Yeah,” Quentin said. “I’m fucking amazing.”</p><p>Eliot laughed, then winced as he fully pulled up and out. He settled on his side, curled up next to Quentin.  He looked down at his chest, and then Quentin’s, come smeared over both of their bodies. “You <em> are </em>fucking amazing,” he breathed. He groped around on the bed behind him, coming back with his wand. He cast a quick cleaning charm, vanishing the mess. Then he reached under him, pulling up the covers on his bed, helping Quentin get under them. They settled with Eliot on his back, Quentin laying his head against his chest, their legs tangled together.</p><p>They lay in silence, Quentin’s mind still blissfully quiet. There were no thoughts of tomorrow, no worries about school or family or friends. Just quiet contentment and love.</p><p> </p><p>--</p><p> </p><p><em> E </em> <em> liot </em></p><p>After a few moments, Eliot’s breathing evened out, his fingers trailing up and down Quentin’s arm. The scent of sex permeated the air, but just under it was that soft scent of Quentin’s soap, tickling Eliot’s nostrils as he nosed in Quentin’s hair. He almost laughed again at the memory of almost recoiling from the pot of Amorententia when he’d first taken a whiff of it in class. Now, it just filled him with happiness.</p><p>His mind replayed the events of the past day as he held Quentin in his arms, the weight of his body comforting against his. When Margo had told him they <em> needed to talk </em>, he was sure he was going to get reamed again for telling her to forget about Alice. Instead, (after giving him many details about the illustrious Alice Quinn that he knew Quentin would never want to hear) she’d told him that the boy he’d spent half the year in love with loved him too, and he’d better move his ass now before he lost him forever.</p><p>He’d taken a quick detour to his room, fixing his hair and grabbing a tie he’d transfigured the week prior when he’d made himself late to the Gryffindor common room after the holiday meal trying to decide which one to wear, and had flown out the door looking fantastic, but forgetting his cloak or robe. He’d found himself staring at the barrels outside the Hufflepuff common room, with no idea how to open the fucking door. When he’d dated Mike, they’d never hung out in the Hufflepuff common room, always preferring the party atmosphere in Slytherin. After pacing around for ten minutes and no one coming along to open the goddamn thing, he’d just guessed—and had gotten doused with vinegar, ruining his hair and his outfit. He’d been standing there, drenched, his mouth hanging open when some snarky Slytherin first year had walked by, not even hiding his laughter.</p><p>Eliot had quickly dried his clothes and hair, but the acidic stench still remained. The little first-year shit (Charlie? No, his name was like that but weirder) had taken one look at Eliot’s pissed off face, and had tapped on the barrels in whatever way opened the damned door, and then he’d sped off.</p><p>Eliot had wrestled with actually going in or going back to change first, and decided he was being an idiot and walked right in, spotting Quentin almost immediately. His heart had been in his throat as he’d asked to talk to Quentin alone, and he was buoyed by the light he’d seen in those brown eyes when Quentin had agreed.</p><p>The walk to the Astronomy tower was a blur, but what he remembered so vividly was Quentin’s face, his expression moving from bewilderment to hurt to happiness to love. When he’d asked Quentin if he still felt the same as he had the week before (<em> you were the last person in the world I’d ever love </em>) and Quentin said he did… his stomach had plummeted several stories as he’d realized that he’d fucked it all up beyond repair.</p><p>Then Quentin had stepped closer, whispering, <em> “I love you now. As I loved you then.” </em>The weight of the world disappeared off his shoulders in that moment, and all that existed was this bundle of nerd in his arms, kissing him for all he was worth. And Eliot couldn’t get enough of it.</p><p>The walk back to the common room, which he spent wondering if they really needed a bed (and they totally did, he was very glad he held out that extra five minutes to make it back to the dungeons), he was halfway convinced Quentin was going to change his mind at any moment. But he had smiled deliriously at Eliot almost the entire walk back, although that smile had quickly melted to horror when they found Margo and Alice, a few clothing items away from scarring Quentin for life. Eliot had just been glad Quentin had brushed it off so quickly; he never would have forgiven Bambi if she had cock-blocked him on New Year’s Eve after she already got hers.</p><p>Then Quentin had come up to his bedroom, and said such lovely things that it was a miracle Eliot hadn’t dropped to his knees immediately. And then <em> his </em> fantasy was to suck <em> Eliot </em>off while Eliot wore nothing but a few leather straps—oh, Eliot knew this boy was a diamond in the rough, but he had no idea how much Eliot would make him shine. Eliot didn’t know who had told him he was bad at oral sex, but they were a complete idiot. After the show Quentin gave Eliot with the sugar quill in the Great Hall (his immediate erection had persisted for almost fifteen minutes, making for a very awkward conversation with Idri), Eliot knew Quentin was going to be anything but bad at putting his mouth to work.</p><p>And when Eliot had finally gotten his mouth on him- he had been so responsive, basically mapping out exactly where Eliot needed to go. And when the delicate question of <em> do you want to fuck or be fucked? </em> had come up, he’d looked Eliot right in the eye and said <em> “I want you to fuck me,” </em> and Eliot was so glad he’d already come once, otherwise at those words the night would have been over. He would have happily done anything Quentin was open to—the desire to make that man happy had become an almost core part of his being, somehow without him even noticing.</p><p>Now he had him naked in his bed, he’d been inside him, and Eliot suddenly understood how people could be with one person for the rest of their lives if that one person made you feel like you could jump over the moon if you wanted it bad enough. And Eliot, who had been meandering through life, content to let it take him where it may, knew what he wanted. And it was wrapped around him, tucked under his chin. The brightest star in his sky, that would always lead him home.</p><p>His bright star stretched out his legs, then pulled up his head, strands of hair sticking out every which way. Eliot couldn’t keep the smile from forming as those inquisitive brown eyes gazed back at him.</p><p>“Hi,” Eliot said softly, brushing Quentin’s hair behind his ear.</p><p>“Hey,” Quentin said. “You remember the poker game?”</p><p>Eliot rolled his eyes, not sure he wanted to know where this train of thought came from.<em> Did he remember the poker game? </em>  “Hrm, let me think.” Eliot tilted his head back, making a show of thinking. “You mean the night I had to stop myself from throwing you down on the poker table and having my way with you? Nope, don’t recall it.”</p><p>Quentin smirked, his eyes dancing. Eliot fucking loved it when his eyes shone that way - it was much too rare, and Eliot made it his mission to see it happen more often.  “You sure did have to hold yourself back a lot,” Quentin said, his eyebrows waggling.</p><p>Eliot waggled his eyebrows right back, tightening one leg around Quentin’s. “My dear, you have no idea. You are incredibly sexy when you’re taking all of our money.”</p><p>Quentin grinned, rolling his eyes. “That last hand, that Mayakovsky interrupted. What cards did you have?”</p><p>Eliot’s eyebrows shot up to his hairline. “Are you really asking me if you won the last hand?”</p><p>Quentin shrugged, a sly smile on his face. “I just wanna know if you were bluffing or not.”</p><p>Eliot leaned back against the pillows, smirking. “Little Q, I <em> never </em>bluff. I don’t need to.”</p><p>Quentin opened his mouth to respond (with something bratty, Eliot knew), when muffled booms sounded in the distance. Their heads turned towards the windows, a weird black green color as they looked out into the lake, but they could just barely make out bursts of colored light through the pane.</p><p>“Oh,” Quentin said, angling his body up a bit to get a better angle to look at the window. “We’re missing the fireworks.”</p><p>Eliot focused back on Quentin, his eyes tracing down his bare back, to the top of his pert little ass, just barely covered by the bedsheets. His hands traced the path his eyes had just taken, and Quentin turned back to him.</p><p>“No, we’re not,” Eliot said, tugging Quentin over to him. </p><p>The fireworks continued, forgotten by the two men tangled together in the Slytherin dungeons.</p><p> </p><p>--</p><p> </p><p>tbc in Chapter 16: The Patronus</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>
  <a href="https://imgur.com/JkPch87">Eliot’s Tie</a>
</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0016"><h2>16. The Patronus</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Wow! Here we are, at the end. This all started from the words “Quidditch Captain Margo” and took off with a mental image of Eliot going “But he’s a <i>Hufflepuff</i>,” with such disdain it was delicious, and I ran this idea by Hoko, who told me that of course it wasn’t too ambitious for my second fic ever, combining three universes, why would I think such a thing?</p><p>Thank you for all of your comments; I hope everyone had some fun with this crazy story that came out way more dramatic than I intended. Thank you for taking in a story set in Britain, at the most famous British wizarding school where everyone talked so American (seriously I think there’s one use of the word “bloody” and zero of “arse.” And like NO TEA AT ALL please if you are British I apologize.)</p><p>Thank you to <a href="https://hoko-onchi-writes.tumblr.com/">Hoko</a>, for keeping me grounded, looking over my smut, and just generally being amazing. So many lives are better because you exist. (PSA to GO READ her latest piece for the <a href="https://archiveofourown.org/collections/queliotfolklore">QueliotFolklore</a>, it's freakin amazeballs.)</p><p>Most of all thank you to <a href="https://theauditty.tumblr.com/">TheAuditty</a> - so many pieces of this story would not exist without your suggestions, and thank you for committing to correcting and nudging over 100k of my Darcy ramblings. You’re fucking awesome, and don’t let anyone fucking tell you any differently. (PSA to go read <a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/23249602/chapters/55671733">First</a>, it's also freakin amazeballs and will slay you.)</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <em>
    <span>Mid-January</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Alice</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Alice peered around the library shelf, seeing Madame Zelda occupied in her paperwork at the front desk. She pulled the cart full of books a little further into the aisle, and opened up the Advanced Transfiguration text she was supposed to be reshelving. She needed to confirm a few things on transmuting the physical properties of rare metals…</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Tsk tsk,” came a smooth voice behind her, and she jumped, closing the book guiltily. “No studying during detention.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Eliot grabbed a book out of her cart, and turned to study the shelf behind them. Finding its home, he shelved the book and then turned back to Alice, who watched him over her shoulder.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What a stupid rule,” she muttered, rolling her eyes. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>She heard Eliot chuckle next to her. “Well, we can’t get any pleasure out of detention… even those of us that consider studying something enjoyable.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Classes had reconvened two weeks ago, and this was Alice’s seventh detention. Out of approximately 72 total. Not that she was keeping count. Last week she’d polished trophies, this week she was in the library, next week, maybe she’d be picking up trash in the Forbidden Forest.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She’d been paired with Julia last week, but today Julia had been sent to do some cleaning in the Potions lab after some poor first-year somehow blew up not one, but three cauldrons. This was her first detention with Eliot, and she couldn’t keep down the guilt that bubbled up every time she looked at him. He had a much shorter time in detention than she did, but he wouldn’t have had any at all if he hadn’t followed her into that forest.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He didn’t seem too bothered, though, an easy grin on his face as he picked up a few more books to shelve.  The past couple of weeks he had seemed much lighter, an extra spring in his step as he’d moved from class to class. Alice knew it was probably for the same reason Quentin was practically sailing through this term so far - the two men were basically joined at the hip since New Year’s Day.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Eliot had made quite the statement when, on the first day back at classes, he’d shown up to Transfigurations in a tie that was the closest to the uniform Alice had seen him wear in recent memory - but instead of green and silver, it had bold yellow and green stripes. He’d worn his typical mask of indifference on his face as a few furtive glances were cast his way, and the whispers had only grown when he’d tossed his bag on the chair right next to Quentin. Then he’d turned to Quentin and laid a borderline gratuitous kiss on his scarlet face that had Alice’s eyes wide and immediately turning away, and dead silence had hung over the class. Eliot had pulled away, smiled down at Quentin, and sat in his seat, looking at the front of the class with a completely innocent look on his face. Quentin had sunk down in his chair, his face scarlet, eyes darting from Eliot, to Alice, to Professor Sunderland, looking as if he couldn’t decide between being ecstatic or mortified. It had taken hardly an hour for the school to be swarming with the news that Eliot Waugh had not only settled down with a Hufflepuff, but the American transfer at that. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>The only news that could possibly overshadow that bombshell was that Margo Hanson was no longer a free agent- claimed by the </span>
  <em>
    <span>other </span>
  </em>
  <span>American transfer. Alice had been sitting at lunch that same day when Margo had marched over to her and practically climbed in her lap, making sure that </span>
  <em>
    <span>every </span>
  </em>
  <span>person in the Great Hall knew </span>
  <em>
    <span>exactly </span>
  </em>
  <span>who her girlfriend was. When Margo’s need to breathe had finally made her pull away, she had given a triumphant look to Eliot, who had rolled his eyes as he stole a fry from Quentin’s plate. Alice could still remember the Headmaster’s deep sigh as she’d caught a glimpse of him at the front table, trying to eat his own lunch.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Alice smiled to herself as she thought of Margo. They hardly had time to breathe, let alone see each other, between studying, Quidditch practices, and detentions - but they made the time. Alice now knew the way to the Slytherin dungeons by heart, and she was thankful that the Hogwarts wards were so old-fashioned- they prevented boys from going into the girls dorms, but the magic had no issues with girls sneaking into other girls dorms. She hadn’t gotten her usual eight hours of sleep in weeks, but it was so worth it.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She was thinking back to the night earlier in the week, when Margo had slipped in her dorm, pulled the canopy closed and put a silencing ward on her bed, when she sensed eyes on her. She looked up to see Eliot looking down at her, smiling knowingly.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“So,” he said, grinning, “getting enough sleep lately?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She snorted. “I could ask you the same thing. Those dark circles under your eyes aren’t very becoming.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“True, but I am not complaining. Did you know, that last night your brother-”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Stop!” she squeaked. She looked at Eliot, eyes wide. “Please don’t finish that sentence.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He chuckled, eyes sparkling. “I was going to say he kept me up all night talking about some study trick he worked out that helps him relate his potion recipes to the Fillorian alchemy table, but apparently your mind went elsewhere. I see Margo is having a good effect on you.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She rolled her eyes, smiling. Then she took a closer look at him- “Is that a Hufflepuff robe?” she asked, gesturing at the yellow and black crest on the front.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Her eyes widened as Eliot </span>
  <em>
    <span>blushed</span>
  </em>
  <span>, adjusting the robe around his neck. “Yeah, um… Quentin likes it when we wear each other’s robes, so…” He cleared his throat, suddenly very interested in the books in his hands.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“</span>
  <em>
    <span>Quentin</span>
  </em>
  <span> likes it?” she asked knowingly. “Did you charm it to fit you?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Eliot nodded, his throat bobbing. “Yeah, it was a little short… he won’t charm mine though, so he’s just walking around in a too-long Slytherin robe with sleeves hanging over his fingers.” He smiled as he talked, the red shade growing darker on his cheeks.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Alice smiled, looking at Eliot out of the corner of her eye as she turned back to the cart. “Sounds pretty cute.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Mmhmm, yeah, you could say that...” Eliot said, his head bobbing as he looked everywhere but at Alice. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>They worked on the cart in silence, until Eliot cleared his throat and lowered his voice. “So, um, I wanted to talk to you.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Alice turned to him, one eyebrow raised. Eliot wasn’t looking at her, his gaze was on the book he was holding, which he turned around in his hands. He cleared his throat, and Alice grew more curious with every passing moment.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Finally he looked up to meet her eyes, and Alice was not prepared for the amount of guilt she saw there. “I never apologized for my behavior last term… telling Margo to not… pursue you.” Alice felt her lips purse as she inhaled a sharp breath, her immediate reaction anytime this particular issue came up. It only had one other time, when they were all hanging out in the Ravenclaw common room on New Year’s Day after dinner. Margo had made some joke about how she’d never go to Eliot for any kind of romantic advice, and he had flushed guiltily as he’d looked anywhere but at Alice.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Alice had found herself a little angry whenever she looked at Eliot those first few days, but when she saw how happy Quentin was, and how important Eliot was to Margo, the anger started to abate. Everyone made mistakes, herself included. Things had turned out fine. And, you know, he'd rescued her from herself in the forest and tried to shoulder all the consequences on his own. Hard to not forgive anything for that.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I was wrapped up in a lot of my own shit, and seeing Margo so… enamored of someone she’d just met - it threw me a little. But that was just me being selfish…” he took a deep breath, and spit out the rest of his sentence in one breath, “andmaybemorethanalittlejealous. Of what you and Margo had, and the fact that I wanted that. With someone.” His eyes darted between Alice and the bookshelf, and Alice couldn’t stop the small smile from forming on her face. “Your brother, to be precise.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, I get it,” Alice said, a full smile now on her face. At seeing it, relief crossed Eliot’s face.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I think you’re amazing Alice, I really do. Smart and brave and you and Margo… you’re going to conquer the world one day, I know it. I just needed to tell you how sorry I am. For all the pain I caused you.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Alice nodded, a bit of adrenaline in her veins. “Thank you. You didn’t have to say that, but I appreciate that you did. And I did kind of leave you in the forest in the hands of Centaurs, so let’s say we’re even?” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Eliot nodded, and the two resumed their work in comfortable silence. After a moment, Alice tilted her head towards Eliot. “I do need to tell you, though,” she started.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Eliot turned and met her eyes.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“If you hurt my brother, I’ll beat the shit out of you. And I probably won’t even need my wand.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Eliot’s face paled slightly and he nodded. “Noted. I don’t think you’ll need to worry about that. I’ll do anything to make him happy.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Alice looked up at Eliot, his eyes so much brighter than they had been all year long. “You really would, wouldn’t you?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Eliot swallowed and nodded shyly, a look that was almost foreign on his face. Then his eyebrows raised and he said, “Oh!” He lowered his voice again and said, “I heard more on Seb and Marina.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Alice nearly dropped the books in her hand, and she took a step closer to Eliot. She glanced around, and saw no one in their immediate vicinity. “And?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Marina is basically exiled from the British wizarding community, and the ministry will make sure all other wizarding cultures are aware of her. She’ll most likely never do magic again.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Alice exhaled a soft breath. She couldn’t imagine… but Marina had made her bed. “And Seb?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Eliot cleared his throat, looking down at the books in his hands. “Apparently he’d had his illicit potion business going for quite a while. He’d made and sold a ton of Forgetfulness, Polyjuice Potions… some even to Ministry employees. That’s where he got ahold of that thing he gave Quentin, to get past the wards- it was part of some secret project. It’s a huge scandal that they’re working their asses off to cover up. And Seb will probably be the scapegoat. He’s going to Azkaban. For quite some time, I’d think.” Eliot’s eyes flickered up to Alice, who set her books down on the cart and leaned against it.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Wow,” Alice breathed. “Well, good. Fuck that guy.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Eliot’s eyebrows raised in agreement, and he shelved the last few books. The library doors opened, and Alice saw the corner of Eliot’s lips quirk up, and his eyes slid over to Alice, a knowing look on his face.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Alice looked over to see Margo walking in, a smile forming as Margo caught her eye. She gave a very definite </span>
  <em>
    <span>look </span>
  </em>
  <span>to Alice before marching to the back of the library, near the Restricted Section.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She heard Eliot chuckle behind her, and he grabbed the now-empty cart. “I’ll go grab some more books to reshelve. I think there are some things that need to be looked at in the Restricted Section, if you want to go… clean up in there.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Alice shot him a smile over her shoulder, and he winked back at her. “Just don’t leave me alone with Zelda for too long, she freaks me out.” Then he disappeared around the shelf, heading towards the main librarian’s desk.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Alice walked to the back of the library, fiddling with the bracelet on her wrist. It was bronze, with a small charm in the shape of a horse. She quickly found Margo standing in the stacks, her fingers tracing down the page of a book she had open in her arms.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Alice crept up behind her, wrapping her arms around Margo’s waist from behind, squeezing her as she dropped a kiss under her ear. “What are you reading?” she whispered, her seeing goosebumps appear on Margo’s arm from Alice’s breath on her skin. Alice placed her chin on Margo’s shoulder, trying to read the words.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Margo turned her head and met Alice’s lips in a gentle kiss. Then she flipped the book closed to show the cover - </span>
  <em>
    <span>Advanced Guide to Non-Verbal Casting</span>
  </em>
  <span>. “I have some ground to make up for our next duels in Mayakovsky’s class. Gotta make sure I’m prepared if I’m gonna actually win one this time.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Margo reached over and plunked the text down on a nearby table, and turned in Alice’s arms, gripping her forearms and giving her a longer, more thorough kiss. Alice regretfully pulled away after a few seconds, glancing around. “No practice this afternoon?” she asked. Usually while Alice was in detention, Margo spent her time either in Quidditch practice or preparing for it. Alice reached up to touch Margo’s necklace, the charm identical to the one on her wrist. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I cancelled it,” Margo said, her fingers still moving up and down Alice’s arms. “It’s cold as fuck and we have over a month before our next game. Any chance you can sneak away early? We can eat dinner in my room… among other things.” Alice inhaled sharply as Margo leaned forward, pushing Alice’s hair out of the way to nibble at her neck.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You’re gonna have me be the first student to still be in detention after they graduate,” Alice said, her eyes closing as she tightened her grip on Margo. From beyond the roped-off entrance to the room, they heard a loud throat clearing, along with Eliot’s voice saying, much louder than necessary in a library, “I’ll grab it, Madame Zelda! I thought I saw it right back here in the </span>
  <em>
    <span>Restricted Section</span>
  </em>
  <span>.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Margo rolled her eyes as Alice smiled, stepping away from Margo. They heard Eliot walking around the shelves, practically stomping his feet. “Oh my god, El, we fucking heard you,” Margo groaned.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Just making sure no one gets any extra days added to their sentence, you little rebels,” came the reply. They heard him remove a book, and walk away.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“We have to stay until all of the books are put away, but I’ll go straight your way when I’m done,” Alice said, her eyes shining as she looked at Margo. “I’ll meet you in your room?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You better,” Margo said. “I don’t wait up for just anyone, you know,” she added, a wicked grin on her face.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh, I know,” Alice said. She leaned over and gave Margo one more kiss, then quickly backed away out of Margo’s reach. Margo gave her an appraising look, and then sauntered out of the section. Alice followed Margo, grabbing a stack of books to be reshelved along the way.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Margo picked up her bag and made her way out of the library. She tossed Alice a wink as she left through the doors. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Alice walked over to Eliot as she sorted the books in her hands. The pile of books to be shelved had been large when they’d started, but they’d worked quickly, and now, even without using magic they only had two carts left. “I can take these,” Alice said, picking up several volumes from one cart.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I can finish these up if you want to leave early,” Eliot said.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Alice looked over at him. “Eliot, no, we’re supposed to stay-”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Zelda just left for some meeting before dinner,” Eliot interrupted. “This place will be dead until after. I’ll finish up before she comes back and no one will be the wiser.” He looked over at her as he made a pile of autobiographies. “Go and blow Bambi’s mind. Don’t get me wrong, though, it would be great if you’d do the same for me later.” He paused, and then added, “For me to blow Quentin’s mind. Not Bambi’s. Although if you’re interested, I bet Margo would-”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh, god, Eliot, please stop.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m just saying, you’re not biologically related.”  Alice looked up at Eliot in horror, to see him grinning at her.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You know, I almost think I liked you better when you were sarcastic and bitter all the time.” Alice sighed, and set down her pile of books. “This </span>
  <em>
    <span>one </span>
  </em>
  <span>time, I’ll take you up on your offer.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Sure,” Eliot said, smiling to himself. He pulled his wand out, and levitated two piles of books next to him as he headed to shelve them.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“We’re not supposed to use magic,” Alice told him as she put her robe on.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Eliot gave her a look over his shoulder. “What can I say, your rule-breaking is a bad influence on me. Now get out of here- you know Margo doesn’t like to be kept waiting.” Then he disappeared behind a bookshelf.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Alice smiled to herself as she left the library, checking to make sure no faculty were around to see her leaving. Months, even just a few weeks ago, she would have never even imagined doing anything like this. She used to feel like she was carrying the weight of an entire legacy on her shoulders. But now she felt like there was more to life than studying and her career and even unicorns (maybe). Now, while she did still carry all of the memories of her family with her every day, she knew it was not her burden to prove her family's worth to the world. The only person she needed to prove anything to was herself.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Alice deftly swept down to the dungeons, taking care to be a little stealthy, but moving quickly. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Her girlfriend was waiting for her.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>--</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>April</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Eliot</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>“You know, we came up here to study,” Quentin murmured, his hand crawling up Eliot’s shirt, a hot palm against his stomach. His nose nuzzled against Eliot’s throat, the other hand loosening his tie.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yes, Quentin, we absolutely came up to the Astronomy Tower to </span>
  <em>
    <span>study</span>
  </em>
  <span>, as we do.” Eliot’s palms were tight against Quentin’s ass, squeezing lightly as he sought out Quentin’s lips for a wet kiss. He shifted his hips up slightly, comfortable on the soft quilt he was laying on, his boyfriend a solid, warm weight on top of him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>When Quentin had suggested they head up to the tower to ‘study’ at eight in the evening on a Friday night, he’d thought it was cute. When Quentin had actually shown up with a bag of books and a few charmed reading lights, he’d thought it was less cute. True, they did have N.E.W.T.’s in just a few short weeks, but they’d been studying their brains out for months. And now that it was a lovely spring night, the tower was empty for once, with a gorgeous spread of stars above them, the last thing Eliot had any desire to do was study. What he did have a raging desire to do was his cute, sexy, intense, slightly neurotic boyfriend.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He had humored Quentin for all of five minutes before trying to get his hand in his pants, and Quentin had protested for about fifteen seconds before pinning Eliot to the blanket they’d brought up. Now they were lazily making out, with Eliot trying to decide how far he could push Quentin. (He was 85% sure that Quentin shared the exhibionist streak his sister apparently had, but so far the theory remained unproven…) </span>
</p><p>
  <span>The past few months had been, with no exaggeration, the best of Eliot’s life. He had completed his detention without a hitch, he was doing well in his classes, he had a </span>
  <em>
    <span>boyfriend… </span>
  </em>
  <span>and he was happy. Much more than he had any right to be- a thought that still lurked in his mind, even now.  Happiness was incredible, amazing, birds singing and shitting rainbows all day long, but it was also foreign, new, scary- and he was still settling into it.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Though it had taken months after meeting for him and Quentin to actually get together, it had all really happened so fast. They’d gone from acquaintances who would eye fuck each other across the class to tentative friends to intense lovers over the course of two weeks- the other shoe was bound to drop at any moment, right? Eliot kept waiting to wake up, and realize that the bliss that he was living in had just been a crazy, vivid fever dream, and he was back to the nightmare that was his actual life. But that hadn’t happened. The sun set and rose each new day, and Quentin still loved him. He still loved Quentin. Every rambling tangent about the logistics of transmutation charms or the tonal consistency of the Fillory books, every pout when he didn’t get his way, or his wide eyes when he’d find </span>
  <em>
    <span>another </span>
  </em>
  <span>‘essential’ movie Eliot had yet to have seen (apparently Eliot was going to be spending quite some time in front of a TV screen once they were away from Hogwarts, if Quentin had anything to do with it), just entangled Eliot further with Quentin. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>And he knew that would never change.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>There were bumps, of course. Eliot was flirtatious by nature, and he’d had an angry, jealous Quentin on more than one occasion when he’d returned some attractive student’s teasings with some of his own, seemingly forgetting that just because Eliot knew they meant nothing didn’t mean that they looked like nothing. And when the subject of </span>
  <em>
    <span>after Hogwarts</span>
  </em>
  <span> came up… things got tense, because of that whole living across the ocean from each other. They were working on a plan though; Eliot had meant it when he’d told Quentin he never wanted to be parted from him. Even if that meant he had to live in New Jersey. (Which Eliot was desperately working to make sure didn’t happen. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Desperately</span>
  </em>
  <span>.)</span>
</p><p>
  <span>But even if it did, Eliot knew that no matter where they landed, they’d be happy. As long as they were together.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>They’d returned to the Astronomy Tower a few times since the holiday break; it wasn’t often it was unoccupied, but as long as they avoided nights of any astrological significance and the regularly scheduled Astronomy classes, they could usually steal a few hours together. Tonight though, it seemed it wasn't in the cards as voices started to drift up from the grounds, and there was a whizzing of brooms nearby. The distant Quidditch field suddenly lit up, sending more light over the tower. It wasn’t terribly bright, but enough to douse the mood.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Quentin groaned as he pulled his hand out from Eliot’s shirt, laying one last kiss on his throat before awkwardly sitting up, his legs still tangled in Eliot’s. “Well, now I guess we have to study, if we’re gonna stay up here.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Mmmm, we can go back to my dorm,” Eliot said, still laying on the blanket, raising an eyebrow at Quentin as he pulled his loosened tie completely off. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Quentin shot him a heated look, then shook his head. “After we’ve practiced a few spells. I need to work on my non-verbal shields, and I haven’t worked on the patronus at all since last term. Mayakovsky said they’d for </span>
  <em>
    <span>sure </span>
  </em>
  <span>be on the N.E.W.T.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Eliot sighed theatrically, sitting up, pulling his long legs out from under Quentin’s knees. “Ok, fine. I can study if I get a fun reward after.” Quentin stood up, and then offered his hand to Eliot, who took it. He used the momentum from standing up to pull Quentin closer to him, grasping him by the back of the neck in the way that made him melt, and sure enough, Quentin sagged against his chest, angling up for a kiss, which Eliot happily gave.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The loud sound of a wolf whistle made them jerk apart, and they turned to see Kady hovering just off the tower. “Gonna give us a show during our scrimmage?” she asked, smirking at them.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“We were going to study, but I’d hate to disappoint,” Eliot said, his hand still on Quentin’s neck. He looked down, to see Quentin rolling his eyes, even as a smile played on his lips.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Is it ok if I tell Julia you’re up here? She wanted to watch but didn’t want to be by herself in the stands. If you two are capable of keeping all your clothes on.” At Quentin’s nod, she turned and sped back to the pitch.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Eliot frowned as he dropped his hand from Quentin’s neck. “Well, that will delay the ‘getting back to my room’ part of the evening.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Quentin smiled up at him and pushed one more peck onto his lips. “I’ll make it up to you. Come on.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Eliot spent the next fifteen minutes throwing harmless jinxes and charms at Quentin as he worked on his non-verbal shields (no stunners, lest someone get accidentally launched off the side of the tower). He was getting pretty good- Eliot hit him more often than most, but Quentin’s reflexes improved as they went on. Eliot had just landed a transfiguration spell that turned his hoodie into a blazer, leaving Quentin sighing- “This is my favorite hoodie, Eliot!”- when a soft giggle caught their attention.</span>
</p><p><span>Julia was standing in the doorway to the balcony, smiling. “Is it ok if I come in here?” she asked, </span> <span>popping up on her heels. “This is where all the 'magic' happens, right?” She gestured to the general balcony area.</span></p><p>
  <span>Quentin rolled his eyes as he transfigured his hoodie back to its original form. “Yes, you can come in.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Julia stepped forward onto the balcony, moving to the railing to gaze at the Quidditch pitch. Eliot could see the moment she picked out Kady- her eyes widened slightly, and the right corner of her mouth perked up. Eliot glanced over to the pitch, and could see Gryffindor and Ravenclaw players swirling around each other. Kady wasn’t hard to miss- she was all hair and speed, a maroon and gold blur decimating every opponent in her path. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>There had been some tension between the two after the break. Eliot didn’t know all the details, but he gathered that Kady was none too pleased with Julia running off into the forest to meet Marina. While Eliot and Quentin were basking in the glow of a new relationship, Julia was struggling to keep hers together. Quentin had spent more than a few nights being the supportive friend while she cried on his shoulder, over both losing the trust of her girlfriend and realizing she had been used by someone she thought was her friend. Add to it earning back the respect of the Headmaster and juggling detention and schoolwork, and the late winter had been a rough time for Julia.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Now though, as she gazed at her girlfriend with bright eyes, Eliot was sure those bad times were behind them. She stared across the dark expanse like her lifesblood was on the other side. And perhaps it was.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Turning away from the railing, she looked at Quentin. “You’re getting pretty good at the shields, Q. You guys want to keep working on defensive spells?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Quentin shook his head. “No, we should practice the patronus charm.” Looking to Eliot, he asked, “That ok?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Eliot nodded. The patronus charm was a difficult spell for him - no matter how hard he’d try to focus on happy memories (they were few and far between), his brain always wanted to shove those aside in favor of the bleak, harsh thoughts that occupied him far too often. But, he thought, as he watched Quentin pull his hair back into a small bun at the base of his neck, maybe he’d have more to work with now.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Julia stepped over to the corner of the balcony, behind Quentin, where she could view them and still see the Quidditch pitch off to the side.”It took me a while to figure out what worked for me with mine. I thought that imagining passing all my N.E.W.T.’s or something would do it, but I can only generate it when I think about my family- Mom, Mackenzie, you guys. It got a lot easier after I started dating Kady, too.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Eliot sighed. “Well, I’ve never done more than a sad little white cloud. Let’s see what I can get tonight.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Eliot pulled his wand from his holster (he wore it </span>
  <em>
    <span>constantly </span>
  </em>
  <span>now, and made sure to make eye contact with Quentin and run his fingers down the strap over his shoulder as often as possible. His face got so red, it was fantastic), and pointed his wand in front of him. In the past, he’d struggled to think of what made him happy- he got the best results when he’d focused on his breaks with Margo, or nights getting shit-faced in the common room. Tonight, though- while Bambi would always be a source of happiness for him- the first face in his mind was Quentin’s. Soft brown eyes, hair pulled back, turned-up nose, wide grin that was so present anytime he looked at Eliot. That first night with him- </span>
  <em>
    <span>I love you now, as I loved you then</span>
  </em>
  <span>- his face so scarlet when Eliot had kissed him that first class after break- the warm wash of safety, permanence, grounding that he’d never experienced until he woke up in Quentin’s arms- and he could feel the magic surge within him, almost bubbling in its potency as he said, “Expecto Patronum!” and opened his eyes.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>A surge of white magic gushed from his wand, and he watched with wide eyes as it took shape, into a large, glorious… bird? As it fully formed and turned to Eliot, he realized it was the splitting image of Lucent, the phoenix from the Headmaster’s office.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Eliot!” Quentin said, his grinning face washed in the light shining off the patronus, “It’s gorgeous.” Julia’s hands were over her mouth as she stared at the shining form.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The phoenix swirled around Eliot, and he turned with it, his mouth hanging open. It was large, the wings must have spanned three feet, and it was so detailed- Eliot could make out individual feathers, and it had the same little tuft of hair he remembered Lucent pushing softly against his palm. The patronus glided around the platform gracefully, waiting for some direction from Eliot. He just stared at it, speechless, until it flew up into the sky, where it faded away.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He looked down at the wand in his hand, still in shock, as he felt warm arms encircle his stomach. Quentin squeezed hard, and then looked up at Eliot, his smile practically blinding. “I knew you could do it,” he whispered. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Eliot let out a startled laugh, and then threw his arms around Quentin. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Julia smiling broadly. He pressed a kiss into Quentin’s hair, and after one more moment, he loosened his arms and backed up a step, placing his wand back into his holster.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I couldn’t have done it without you,” he told Quentin, his voice much more serious than he’d intended. Quentin grinned, and pushed up on his toes for one more kiss. Then he moved back to the wall of the balcony, as Eliot moved to stand next to Julia.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“So, a phoenix?” She crossed her arms and looked up at Eliot as Quentin prepared himself up at the other end of the platform- he appeared to be giving himself a pep talk, complete with numerous hand gestures. “It’s pretty rare for patronuses to take the form of a magical creature.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Eliot leaned his elbow on the railing as he digested this information. Then, he shrugged. “Well, I am a pretty rare magical creature, so I suppose it fits.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She smirked up at him, and then they both turned their attention to Quentin. He had his wand at the ready, his eyes closed, and Eliot took the opportunity to just look at him. A few strands of hair had pulled out of his bun when he’d hugged Eliot, and they framed his face. His eyes were closed in concentration, his lips slightly parted. Quentin had once told Eliot he was full of light, but now as Eliot watched, he thought Quentin had it all wrong. Quentin was the guiding star in Eliot’s life- pulling him, slowly but surely, out of the darkness and into the sun. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>A soft smile appeared on Quentin’s face, the little wrinkle of concentration that he had been wearing between his eyes disappearing. He said softly, “Expecto Patronum,” as he moved his wand, and then opened his eyes.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Eliot’s heart sped up as a solid jet of magic spooled out of Quentin’s wand, forming into a tiny blob that morphed into… the most adorable little magical puppy Eliot had ever seen.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Julia gasped loudly as Eliot’s mouth dropped open, a short bark of laughter escaping his lips.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh my god, Quentin,” Julia said, her eyes shining as she reached out to the puppy, which was rolling over on it’s back in the air, it’s legs and floppy ears flailing about.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It’s adorable!” Eliot said, walking over to Quentin and wrapping an arm around his shoulder. The little puppy (which Eliot was pretty sure was a labrador, or maybe a golden retriever) sat back on its haunches, it’s magical little tongue hanging out of its mouth as it looked at Quentin, waiting for instruction. Eliot looked down at Quentin, grinning, to see… a very unhappy frown on his face.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Q?” Eliot asked, his laughter fading. “What’s wrong?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Quentin’s frown deepened as the puppy jumped in place, and then ran a circle around them. “It’s a puppy,” he said darkly.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Julia let out a chortle. “Q, you made a patronus! In one try! Who cares what it is?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Quentin scoffed as the magic faded away, his patronus disappearing into the night. “I care! You have a freaking sparrowhawk! Alice is a unicorn! Eliot just got a phoenix! I’m a… a fucking puppy?!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Eliot’s smile grew wider as he quickly enveloped Quentin in his arms. “Baby, you have the most badass puppy patronus I’ve ever seen. I wouldn’t have it any other way.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“This is bullshit,” Quentin said, even as nuzzled deeper into Eliot’s arms.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m so proud of you,” Julia said, her eyes wet as she watched them. Eliot met her eyes, and he knew what she was thinking- there was a time when conjuring any form of a patronus would have been an impossible task for Quentin, let alone a fully corporeal one.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Eliot dropped one more kiss on Quentin’s head, and then the trio moved to the railing, Julia and Quentin chattering excitedly, Quentin seemingly moving on quickly from his disappointment. Eliot watched the scrimmage absently, his mind reflecting. When he’d started this year, his goal had been to have an ‘easy’ year- do just enough in his classes to graduate, hook up with whoever, and never go back to Wales. Instead he’d had half a year of drama and torment (by his own doing) and had almost gotten expelled.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>As he looked at Quentin laughing with Julia, he knew he’d never have it any other way.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>--</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>May</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Quentin</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>Quentin squirmed in his seat, Eliot’s hand warm on his knee. Eliot shot him a look out of the corner of his eyes, a smile flirting on his lips as his hand inched higher. In the same moment, Eliot said, “Really? He flunked his driving test twice?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Quentin felt his face grow red as he plugged back into the conversation- his mind had started wandering as soon as he’d felt the weight of Eliot’s hand on his knee, and when he saw the pleased smile on Eliot’s face, he knew that had been the goal.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Ted chortled, leaning back in his seat. “Well, technically he never actually passed it. He had to leave for Hogwarts by the time he was eligible to take it again.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Quentin rolled his eyes, crossing his arms in front of his chest as his dad winked at him. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Thanks a lot, Dad.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>“Well, good thing no one really needs to drive in the wizard areas of Britain,” Eliot replied, tossing his napkin onto his plate. He smiled down at Quentin, his hand squeezing right inside Quentin’s thigh. “Funny how someone can be so proficient on a broom, but not driving a car.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Well, it does have completely different mechanics,” Quentin retorted, his face hot. There were a few chuckles around the table as his dad smiled at him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>They were gathered around a table in the Great Hall- Hogwarts graduation had concluded an hour ago, and now Quentin and Eliot were finishing dinner with Quentin’s parents, Alice, and Margo. Julia and Kady were over at the next table, just a little further down, eating with Julia’s family. The usual long tables and benches were gone, replaced with circular tables and comfortable chairs. Colorful floral centerpieces and twinkling lights added a fanciful flair to the hall.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The ceremony had been short, the Headmaster presenting each student with their diploma on the front platform. Quentin swore that Fogg breathed a sigh of relief after he gave out his diploma (and really, he’d been the least bothersome of his group…), and a grand feast had commenced after.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The entire thing seemed a bit anticlimactic- after spending months agonizing over N.E.W.T.’s and their future, to have it all come to an end with a thirty-minute ceremony in the Great Hall where he got a handshake with the Headmaster and sent off on his merry way was a bit of a let-down. But, instead of diploma’s, Hogwarts gave each graduate a ring in the house colors - each student had the option to design their own, and Quentin had gone with a simple band of black and gold, even if he had jazzed it up a bit to remind him of Lord of the Rings. He’d earned that ring- he’d passed every N.E.W.T. he’d tested on. Even if Mayakovsky had laughed out loud when he’d produced his patronus.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Quentin’s parents had ported over for the occasion, and Quentin and Alice would be returning back to the states with them. Not for very long, though (but long enough for a trip to California and a certain theme park).</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Quentin picked up Eliot’s hand from his thigh as conversation continued, looking at him and smiling as he slotted their fingers together, his new ring clinking against Eliot’s dark grey and green one. This would be their last night together for a couple of weeks- and Quentin wanted to savor every minute.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He looked across the table at Alice, who was sitting in between his mother and Margo, smiling as Margo spoke animatedly about her trip to Amsterdam. Quentin’s mom traveled occasionally for her work with the Owl Postal Service, and he could see the delight in her eyes as she nodded along with Margo’s description of staying in a small fishing village on her study trip (there was hardly room for her tiny cot in the cabin she stayed in, let alone the three bags she’d taken with her). Margo reached over to rest her hand over Alice’s, and he saw Alice’s eyes grow soft. Then she caught Quentin’s gaze, and he widened his eyes, looking to Eliot, to Margo, back to her. She smiled broadly back at him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>If Margo or Eliot had been nervous about meeting their parents, neither had shown it. Eliot had been all smiles and consideration, and Margo had immediately charmed the table by conjuring ice crystal sunflowers out of nowhere (his mom’s favorite flower). It was rather irritating, how easily they won over everyone (not that Ted or Joanna were hard marks, they’d love anyone that made their children happy). Quentin had been worried about their reaction to both of their kids moving to Britain, but that had gone over surprisingly well. Quentin thought his dad was so thrilled to see both of his kids so happy, he’d have agreed to anything to keep the smiles on their faces.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Alice and Julia were both going to be starting at the Ministry in July- Julia in the Department of Mysteries, and Alice in some new research division. She’d get to travel the world, digging into the magical properties of various natural phenomena. Both of them had achieved five N.E.W.T. levels, and it was a surprise to no one that they had job offers even before the official results came back.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>In a twist everyone but Quentin had seen coming, Kady was going to be working there as well- in the Department of Magical Enforcement. She hadn’t even told anyone she had applied, but had dropped off the news nonchalantly after Hufflepuff had surprised everyone and won the Quidditch cup in the last game of the season (Todd had proved he had more than a little Slytherin in him when he’d tricked Poppy into nose diving to the ground while he secured the snitch after three hours of play. Poppy didn’t seem too upset about it; Quentin had seen her dragging Todd out of the common room during the after party). Julia had been beside herself when she found out, practically tackling Kady to the ground right in front of Helga Hufflepuff’s portrait (who didn’t seem very disturbed by the turn of events).</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Eliot (who had passed his N.E.W.T.’s in both Potions and Defense Against the Dark Arts) had received an offer to apprentice under an Apothecary in London- it was located right near the main downtown area, which pleased him to no end. Quentin could remember his wide eyes when an owl had showed up requesting an interview- Eliot hadn’t applied, nor had even heard of the business in question. It turned out to be a very exclusive outfit that worked with several wizarding governments and businesses throughout Europe in designing and breaking down magical potions. Quentin strongly suspected the Headmaster had something to do with Eliot getting the opportunity at all- but his only real evidence was Fogg’s pleased expression at hearing Eliot had gotten the job.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Once Julia, Alice, and Kady, knew for sure they’d be working in Britain, they’d started planning. Well, Alice and Julia had. Everyone else was kind of along for the ride. And just a few days ago, Quentin had signed his name next to Alice and Kady’s on a lease for a flat in a village near London. Julia, Eliot, and Margo leased one in the same block- they’d be neighbors. Each flat was a two bedroom, but Quentin knew they’d figure out room arrangements that worked for everyone. The lease was for a year, and after that... well, they’d figure it out.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Quentin had been on the verge of a minor breakdown when he looked around and realized that everyone had some kind of a plan for post-Hogwarts, and his one-step plan of ‘learn magic, bitch’ was about to come to an end. He’d had images of his friends living their amazing lives while he sat around taking up space on the couch all day. Julia had been helping him look into a few openings when Professor March pulled him aside, wanting to recommend him for a research position at the ministry. Apparently his skill with repair charms could be used in the Rare Artifacts division, and Quentin had an interview two days before. It had been distinctly reminiscent of his entrance exams at Hogwarts- he’d not only been tested in his repairing charms, but in all matters of transmutations and they’d asked him several questions about his knowledge of curses and magical creatures. He hadn’t heard back yet, but he had a pretty good feeling about it.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Margo had been offered a salaried position of curse-breaker at Gringotts Bank- which she’d turned down and renegotiated into a kind of consultant position, allowing her a bit more freedom in where she’d travel in her search for magical objects. If her quests happened to coincide with where Alice was going for her research… she certainly wasn’t going to complain.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“So,” Eliot said when the conversation hit a lull, “Where did you come up with the name Makepeace? It is such an interesting middle name.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Quentin groaned internally (and a bit externally). </span>
  <em>
    <span>Of course </span>
  </em>
  <span>his full name had to be announced at graduation. He was only shocked that Eliot had waited this long to bring it up.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Joanna opened her mouth to reply when she was cut off by the Headmaster clearing his throat at the podium at the front of the room. All heads turned in his direction. “I hope everyone has enjoyed the feast,” Fogg said, standing atop the platform, looking very classy in his dress robes. “Our graduates will now take their last trip away from the castle - on the same boats that brought you here during your first year. Friends and family may see them off, and then the carriages can bring you down to Hogsmeade.” He nodded and stepped away from the podium, and students and family started to rise and gather their things.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Quentin stood up, seeing Penny speaking with Professor Sunderland near the back of the hall. She was smiling at him in a way that Quentin had never seen before, and Quentin felt his eyebrows raise as he observed them. He didn’t know what Penny’s plans were after graduation, but he would not be surprised if he ran into him at the Ministry. He imagined a ‘one-in-a-million Legilimens’ would have more than one job offer waiting for him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>As they made their way to the back of the hall, Quentin caught Julia’s eye. She gave him a grand smile, and gestured towards Kady, who was chatting animatedly to Julia’s mom and sister. Judging from the gestures she was making, he was pretty sure she was talking about Quidditch… but with Kady, who knew. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Julia had been worried about Kady meeting her family, but Quentin knew they would love her. Mackenzie had given Quentin a warm hug when she’d seen him briefly before graduation- he was excited to be able to visit more now that he’d be in Britain. Quentin smiled back at Julia, who bounced on her feet, beaming his way, before turning back to follow her family into the Great Hall.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The students crowded onto the dock where they would board the boats, their family members lined up along the shore, to wish them off into their post-Hogwarts life. Eliot and Quentin were at the back of the group, a few feet behind Alice, Margo, Julia, and Kady.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Did you ride the boat over before you got sorted?” Eliot asked as students started to board.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yep,” Quentin said. “Alice and I did the whole ride over on the train and then the boat with all the first-years.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Eliot chuckled. “If only you knew what you were sailing towards, my dear.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Quentin frowned. “You know, I wish you would not call me ‘my dear’.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Eliot looked down at him in surprise. “Why not?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It’s what Mom calls Dad when she’s pissed about something.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Ok. Well, what endearments am I allowed? My little darling Makepeace?” Eliot’s grin shined down at Quentin, and he groaned. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No,” Quentin said firmly. “Uh, let me think. Well, Q, usually. Baby is ok- I’ve never really liked it before, but it’s ok when you say it. Sweetheart, I guess... but only on very special occasions.” He glanced up at Eliot, smiling at the adoration pouring off him as he looked down at Quentin.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Eliot grabbed his hand, squeezing it as they shuffled forward, getting closer to the boat. “And what shall I call you when I’m pissed? Love? So even if we’re fighting I’ll never forget that I love you?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Quentin chuckled, rolling his eyes. “No. No. You may only call me ‘love’ when you are completely and perfectly and </span>
  <em>
    <span>incandescently </span>
  </em>
  <span>happy.” He peered up at Eliot, a cheeky grin on his face.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>They were almost to the front of the line, they would be the last students to board. Eliot turned to him, a soft smile on his face. His hazel eyes were bright, shadows playing across his face from the flickering torchlight. It brought back the memory of that first night in his dorm room- Eliot lighting candles as Quentin watched, those same shadows moving across his form. Eliot reached over and grasped Quentin’s other hand, pulling him close. He ducked down, his lips close to Quentins ear. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“And how are you this evening, love?” Eliot pulled his head back, staring down into Quentin’s eyes. He released one of Quentin’s hands, his fingers coming up to brush against Quentin’s chin.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Quentin felt his heart speed up as he gazed at Eliot, that familiar soft heat curling in his belly. God, he’d never get tired of this. And then he pushed up on his toes, pressing his lips hard against Eliot’s. Eliot’s hand moved up to cup his cheek, smiling against Quentin’s lips. Then he opened to Quentin, kissing him back softly.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Guys. Come on.” Alice called out to them from the boat. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You can fuck later,” Margo added, from her seat next to Alice. “I’d like to get across this lake sometime tonight.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>They separated and stepped towards the boat.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“After you, love,” Eliot said, gesturing for Quentin to board. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Quentin, his face warm with a dopey smile spread across it, stepped onto the boat, Eliot behind him. They sat down on a bench, the boat rocking with the movement. After a moment, they departed, heading across the lake.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Quentin squeezed Eliot’s hand as he gazed at the stars above them. He felt Eliot’s lips brush his forehead, and he leaned hard into his side. The lake was serene, the quiet chatter of the students around him fading away.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Quentin pulled his eyes from the sky, and looked ahead towards the shore. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>And then back to Eliot, finding his hazel eyes already fixed on him, his gaze soft. Quentin’s heart thumped harder in his chest as he looked towards him. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Towards his future. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>THE END</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>There are a few things I thought of for the story, but couldn’t figure out how to work in:</p><p>- Eliot and Quentin do have twin cores in their wands - phoenix feathers. I had this scene in my head where Q went to Olivander’s shop, and Olivander is all “OMG AmErIcAn WaNdS let me SEE them you know I’ve done some trades with them, they have a lovely stash of eagle feathers that make for amazing cores and OMG I totally MADE this one, I sold it’s twin to some FARM boy like eight YEARS ago.” But I couldn’t fit it in the story that I had left to write by the time I thought of it, and was kind of a stretch anyway, but there is some allusion to it during the duel.</p><p>- I had an entire subplot revolving around Sunderland and Penny having an illicit affair (I’ll write this fic one day, dammit), but the more I hinted at it, the grosser it felt b/c he is JUST 18 so I never spelled it out. But you can still see some not-so-subtle shade thrown that way.</p><p>Here’s the <a href="https://imgur.com/a/XoT46Ro">album</a> of all ties/images I’ve included in this story - including the final of Eliot’s tie and the rings mentioned in this chapter.</p><p>Final Thought: When I conceived of and started writing this, I wasn’t really aware of any personal stances of the author of the Harry Potter series. I became aware of transphobic remarks the author made on social media, and I thought a lot about just abandoning this idea. Obviously I did not do that, as I’d put a lot of work into it by that point, but I did want to say that I do not want the fact that I wrote in the HP universe to be construed as agreement with the transphobic remarks made by that author. Trans women and women and trans men are men. End of story. I hope this story brought a little bit of joy out of the HP universe in a time where that may be hard to come by.</p>
        </blockquote><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Please find me on <a href="https://www.tumblr.com/blog/rubickk7">Tumblr</a> and <a href="https://twitter.com/Rubick71">Twitter</a>.</p></blockquote></div></div>
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